The woman told Mr Annamalai to ‘return to India’.
Ashwin Annamalai, a Canadian citizen of Indian origin, has expressed concern about a “disturbing rise” in hate crimes against the country’s Indian population. The growing concerns coincide with ongoing tensions at the diplomatic level between India and Canada. Mr Annamalai shared a video on microblogging website He described the experience as deeply disturbing, adding that such incidents are becoming increasingly common.
“The once welcoming community of Kitchener-Waterloo has seen a disturbing increase in hate, especially against people of color. Here is a personal account of what I experienced today: A random woman gave me the finger and spewed hate while I was walking near Erb/Avondale she wrongly assumed I was Indian and that I should leave immediately . When I challenged her very politely she went on about her racist rants… She is also angry that there are also black people in the community that I don’t speak English and I just need to leave,” he wrote in the caption of the video .
Watch the video here:
She wrongly assumed that I was Indian and that I had to leave immediately. When I challenged her very politely, she would go on about her racist rants… She is also angry that there are black people in the community. She also accuses me of not speaking English and that I should just leave.
— Ashwin Annamalai (@ignorantsapient) October 15, 2024
Mr. Annamalai also shared a link to a news report from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that the Waterloo Region has the highest number of police-reported hate crimes in Canada.
“This is not an isolated incident. New data from Statistics Canada shows that Waterloo Region has the highest number of police-reported hate crimes in Canada,” he wrote in the comment thread.