On Saturday June 12, Salman Afzaal (46), his wife Madiha (44), their daughter Yumna (15) and Salman’s 74-year-old mother, Talat Afzaal will be laid to rest in London, Ontario, Canada. On Sunday June 6, the family was out for their regular evening walk, dressed as always in salwar kameez, when a 20-year-old white male, later identified as Nathaniel Veltman, mowed them down with his truck and drove away. The Salman Family were killed and their youngest, nine-year-old Fayez, is the only survivor currently in hospital being treated for massive injuries.

The attack is a “premeditated hate crime against muslims”, said reports quoting London Police. The accused, now under arrest hasbeen charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. 

Canadaian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called this a “terrorist attack” and recently visited the community and said, “To the Muslim community in London and to Muslims across the country, know that we stand with you. Islamophobia has no place in any of our communities. This hate is insidious and despicable – and it must stop.”

London city in southwestern Ontario is stated to have a close knit Muslim population, many who migrated from Pakistan. According to news reports, Canada’s The House of Commons had also observed a moment of silence for the victims. Trudeau added that Islamophobic attacks are happening in Canada and that the nation must “not become desensitized to this violence. We must not accept this as normal. Every time we witness such hate, we must call it out.”

To those who knew the Afzaal family, to the son who survived, to Muslims in London and in communities across Canada, to everyone who feels sad or angry or afraid: You are not alone. Canadians across the country are mourning with you and standing with you – tonight, and always. pic.twitter.com/MqMj1kKeTC

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 9, 2021

While thousands continue to lay flowers and pay homage at the scene of the hate crime and elsewhere, the community of London, Ontario has also shown the world how to respond to communal hate crime. Across religious beliefs, community leaders have reached out to the residents, and grieved the murder of the much loved family that had migrated to Canada from Pakistan, and had roots in pre-Partition India. Salman Afzaa a physiotherapist, Madiha Salman (44) who was close to obtain her PhD at Western University in Civil engineering; daughter Yumna Salman, who on graduation from the local islamic school had pained an inspirational mural, and was now finishing grade 9 at Oakridge Secondary School and the much loved matriarch of the family have become symbols of love and charity and united a diverse community in the wake of their passing.

One of the most visible symbols of that is a Gofundme fundraiser started by a close family friend and neighbour Sana Yasir. However, what stands out is that the donations collected will only be used for “sadaqa-jariya” on behalf of the Salman family. Speaking to SabrangIndia over the phone from Canada, Sana Yasir said that sadaqa-jariya is an Islamic concept that will benefit others in this life, and also the family in the next life. 

Sana Yasir told SabrangIndia, that while the community is grieving deeply they are not afraid. No one is hiding their Muslim identity or way of dress. “I wear a hijab, and though I do get the odd stare now and then I have never felt any threats. This was the first time we witnessed such Islamophobia here,” she says. Salman Afzaal and his family often wore Salwar Kameez and the older women draped a dupatta on their head. They walked around the neighbourhood most evenings spending some family time together and also greeting the neighbours. “Aunty Madiha would take my sister to school and her son. She brought us food when my mother was unwell. There is not one person who will have anything negative to say about the family. They were such good people, and such a big part of the community and the university,” said Sana, a student of the same university as the couple. “We live down the street… They were family friends, and my little sister is heartbroken at the loss of her close friend Yumna who had texted her a day before the horror,” she said.

The donations have been coming in waves from across the world, and if the pace keeps may even touch a million dollars. According to Sana, the London Muslim Mosque, and Islamic Relief  are supporting the fundraiser along with the London muslim community. Fayez, the sole survivor, is said to be in a stable condition in hospital and has his aunt and uncle with him. “Fayez has a very strong support system-his immediate family, extended family, and the London community,” said Sana. 

While the community, and the family and friends of the victims are being brave there is no denying that the cold blodded murder of the Salman family is yet another reminder of Islamophobia now rampant across the world Including India.

However, the response from the Canadian administration and London Police Chief Steve Williams was quoted as saying, “We understand that this event may cause fear and anxiety in the community, and in particular the Muslim community, in any community targeted by hate. I want to reassure all Londoners that all of us on the call today and many others stand with you and support you. There is no tolerance in this community for individuals who, motivated by hate, target others with violence.”

According to CNN, Trudeau said before the House of Commons, “This killing was no accident. This was a terrorist attack motivated by hatred in the heart of one in our community.” Earlier detective Superintendent Paul Waight of the London Police had said, “There is evidence that this was a planned, premeditated act, motivated by hate. It is believed that these victims were targeted because they were Muslim.”

According to CTV new the accused Nathaniel Veltman, 20, who faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, appeared via video link. The courtroom was closed to the public and a publication ban has been put in place on the proceedings. Meanwhile, the London Muslim Mosque, which the family belonged to, has called for a national summit on Islamophobia between all levels of government stated the news report.

Image courtesy: Sana Yasir

Related:

Being Muslim in the Workplace: A report by Parcham Collective
Swiss Vote for Burqa Ban and Its Reaction among Indian Muslims
Supersizing victimhood: Hindu Right’s appropriation of Islamophobia, the Jewish Holocaust & Indigenous struggles
How much green of the National Flag should be shown on TV?

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After the remains of 215 children, young as three years old, were unearthed at what was once residential school for indigenous children, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has ordered that the Peace Tower flag and flags on all federal buildings be flown at half-mast to honour the children whose lives were taken at the former Kamloops residential school and all Indigenous children who never made it home, the survivors, and their families.

To honour the 215 children whose lives were taken at the former Kamloops residential school and all Indigenous children who never made it home, the survivors, and their families, I have asked that the Peace Tower flag and flags on all federal buildings be flown at half-mast.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 30, 2021

Carolyn Bennett, Canada’s  Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, announced the setting up of a ‘National Indian Residential School Crisis’ help line to support former residential school students and those affected. 

A National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support to former residential school students and those affected. You can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-Hour National Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419. pic.twitter.com/VnF9sgQ0cc

— Carolyn Bennett (@Carolyn_Bennett) May 30, 2021

Trudeau had described this horrific discovery “as heartbreaking” on Friday, calling it “a painful reminder of that dark and shameful chapter” of Canada’s history. 

The news that remains were found at the former Kamloops residential school breaks my heart – it is a painful reminder of that dark and shameful chapter of our country’s history. I am thinking about everyone affected by this distressing news. We are here for you. https://t.co/ZUfDRyAfET

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 28, 2021

The victims were all students at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. The remains were found with the help of a ground penetrating radar specialist, according to the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation, reported Reuters. The residential school had shut down in 1978.

The discovery is a horror story that not many in the world, outside the community affected and aware Canadians, may have heard of till the news broke on International media. According to the documentation there was “horrific physical abuse, rape, malnutrition and other atrocities suffered by many of the 1,50,000 children who attended the schools,” that were “typically run by Christian churches on behalf of Ottawa from the 1840s to the 1990s.” Among the remains of the 215 children found buried, there were some as young as 3 years old. The former school was stated to be “once Canada’s largest indigenous residential school” and is “one of the institutions that held children taken from families” across Canada. According to news reports “from the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 1,50,000 First Nations children were required to attend state-funded Christian schools as part of a programme to assimilate them into Canadian society. They were forced to convert to Christianity and not allowed to speak their native languages. Many were beaten and verbally abused, and up to 6,000 are said to have died.

The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State has also issued a memorandum on the subject. Kevin Annett who founded and runs the tribunal titled the memorandum “Not “abuse” but mass murder!”  He stated that this is a memorandum on “Genocidal Crimes” that allegedly took place at the Catholic Kamloops ‘Indian Residential School’. Annett’s memorandum has multiple serious allegations that have accused the Kamloops school of inflicting “particularly cruel and severe punishment, experimentation and torture on native children who resisted or ran away more than once.”  He stated that the Kamloops school was also a location for “involuntary sterilization programs, which according to survivors and government sources began as early as 1929 and continued until well into the 1970’s. Especially intelligent or defiant children were targeted for sterilization.” It quotes a survivor Sam Adolph who was sterilized in 1959 at the age of fourteen, “They called us the ‘red tag boys’. At the end of each term, they’d hand out the red tags and if you had one you had to report to the clinic. That’s where I got cut. I don’t know who the doctor was, he was from somewhere else and we never saw him again. But he fixed me so I could never have a kid.” 

As reported in the international media, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation, chief Rosanne Casimir said, “We had a knowledge in our community that we were able to verify.” The chief added that this forced separation of the indigenous children from their families, was “cultural genocide”, as a six-year investigation revealed in 2015. Horrific abuse of the 150,000 children, including rape, were put on record. These schools were all run by “Christian churches on behalf of Ottawa from the 1840s to the 1990s”, stated the investigation which found that “more than 4,100 children died while attending residential school.” However the “deaths of the 215 children buried in the grounds of what was once Canada’s largest residential school are believed to not have been included in that figure and appear to have been undocumented until the discovery” stated news reports adding that “in 2008, the Canadian government formally apologised for the system.” According to the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation statement further investigations were on and “it was engaging with the coroner and reaching out to the home communities whose children attended the school. Preliminary findings may be out by mid-June, according to news reports.

Kevin Annett’s memorandum details gritly details of torture on children at the Kamloops school including “testing of experimental vaccines on native children” in the 1930’s till he late 1940’s, he alleges that these “continue to the present day.” He alleged that the “Kamloops center was a traditional hotspot of cultic activity involving the ritual torture and murder of children by top officials of the Anglican/Church of England and the Vatican/Roman Catholic Church.”  According to Annett the “body disposal at the Kamloops school involved either incineration or interment in secret graves that were located as far away as thirty kilometers from the school.”

[Trigger warning: The memorandum has details of child abuse and torture. Those who wish to read it may do so here: http://murderbydecree.com/2021/05/30/not-abuse-but-mass-murder-a-memorandum-on-genocidal-crimes-at-the-catholic-kamloops-indian-residential-school/ ]

Related:

US Government lambasts India on Freedom of Religion

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Bhagat Singh was a towering revolutionary who fought against the British occupation of India and stood for an egalitarian and just society. He strongly believed in secularism and vowed to continue his struggle until human exploitation ends. He had predicted that once the British left, the power would come into the hands of the native ruling classes and therefore emphasised on continuing the battle until a classless society was established to ensure emancipation of the oppressed.  

His prophecy was proven right after the transfer of power in 1947 and today; the repression has grown under an outright Hindutva fascist government.  

Not only the attacks on religious minorities and political dissidents have sharpened than before, but the rights of the farmers who are the backbone of Indian economy are being stripped in the name of development. The government has brought an ordinance that badly affects the future of the rural communities without any consultation with the farmers as a result of which the people have come out on the streets in India.  

The rally that was organised in solidarity with the agitating farmers began with a moment of silence for Swami Agnivesh, a prominent social justice activist who passed away recently. Agnivesh, who was a progressive Hindu reformer, always stood for the minorities and the oppressed communities. He was viciously assaulted by the supporters of Hindu Right in 2018. IAPI had organised a rally in his support back then. His picture was displayed next to that of Bhagat Singh on the occasion.  

The speakers unanimously denounced the policies of the Modi government. Among them were the IAPI members Rakesh Kumar, Tejinder Sharma, Harbir Rathi, Amrit Diwana, Sarabjit Baaj and Gurpreet Singh.  

Others who spoke at the event were Inderjit Singh Bains from Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Society, independent Sikh activists Kulwinder Singh and Surjit Singh Gosal and leftist activists Parminder Swaich, Rawait Singh, Joseph Theriault and Ryan Abbott.  

While Theriault is associated with the Communist Party (Marxist Leninist), Abbott is with the Communist Party of Canada and is running for the BC Legislature from Surrey-Whalley.  

The participants raised slogans against the Indian state and resolved to continue their fight against injustice.  

Related:

Canadian legislator honoured for standing up for Kashmir and minorities in India
Rally in Canada in support of a Sikh advocate who organized langar for Delhi CAA protesters
Free Safoora: Indians hold car rally in Canada in solidarity with student activist

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A group of more than 50 people from all walks of life from the Greater Boston area assembled in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA, to protest against the unabated pace of mob lynchings and the growing threat to human rights of citizens in India, especially those of Muslims, Dalits, and other minorities. The protestors demanded justice for the victims and their families, as well as urged for immediate public action to bring an end to hate crimes against minorities. The attendees of the event included individuals of Indian, South Asian, and American origin as well as representatives from various organizations.

Concerned citizens also protested in Chicago to demand immediate action against the perpetrators of lynchings as well as the politicians encouraging them. They said, “We, the concerned citizens of India and of Indian Origin living in US condemn such lackadaisical attitude of the government towards mobocracy and therefore, encouraging Law of Jungle and demand that the country be saved from falling into a dark era where mobocracy takes over”.

“It is a matter of grave concern for all people to raise their voices against this attack on Right To Be of a section of people and individuals. It is an attack on all people and is a form of state terrorism carried out by the ruling elite to attack , divert and divide people, who are struggling hard to find solutions to basic problems such as food, water, shelter, safety and security which are caused by the rule and plunder of a handful few. We must not let this pass” said Jaspal Singh who lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

A poet present in the group read a poem written in remembrance of Tabrez and how Ram’s name is being used to spread fear and hatred. University students, doctors, scientists, workers, teachers and many others were part of the gathering in the famous Harvard Square.

Another attendee said, “Lynchings are a political tool designed to subjugate and terrorize minorities and other vulnerable sections of society. The shameful history of lynchings in the US should be enough to outrage us and take immediate public action to stop it in India”.

On June 17, Tabrez Ansari, 24, was beaten up by a group of people in the Seraikela -Kharsawan district of Jharkhand, on suspicion of theft. The mob tied him up and forced him to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Jai Hanuman’ as he bled, and handed him over to the police the next day. This incident was filmed and went viral on social media. Four days later, the young man was declared dead while in custody without getting proper medical attention. According to the website https://lynch.factchecker.in/ there have been 175 major assaults due to cow-related violence causing 47 deaths.

“Human history, time and again has proven that hate doesn’t accomplish anything. Inclusiveness and tolerance are two key characters of the developed, progressive societies of the world. No civilized society accepts mob lynchings. And India with one of the world’s ancient civilizations, a history of tolerance and adapting a secular constitution cannot afford to take the path of hate in the name of religion to reach its goal of becoming a world leader” said Vinay Vikas, a biotech professional from Waltham, Massachusetts.

The event in Harvard Square ended by the group singing songs and chanting slogans to call for a people’s movement to end oppression against minorities and strive for a plural, secular and inclusive India, where all the sections of the society feel safe.

Courtesy: Two Cirlce

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Record-breaking years for refugee flows have become the norm. UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, just released its annual tally of displacement worldwide. Once again the numbers rose, with 70.8 million people displaced by conflict and violence — more than at any point since the Second World War.

Displaced Yemeni girls, who fled their home because of fighting at the port city of Hodeida, are seen in a school allocated for IDPs in Sanaa, Yemen. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

In media coverage on refugees, we hear the most about the small fraction of refugees who manage to reach Europe or North America, yet well over half of the displaced — some 41.3 million —never make it out of their own countries.

This invisible majority is known by the uninspired acronym of IDPs, or “internally displaced persons.” In countries like Syria, South Sudan, Myanmar and Nigeria, IDPs face targeted violence and extreme poverty, but because they remain within their own borders, they receive little attention or effective international support.

It’s time to change that, and Canada must help.

No coherent strategy

While Canada prides itself for its history of leadership in support of refugees, we lack a coherent, ambitious strategy to strengthen protection and assistance for the majority of displaced people who remain inside their own countries.

Our efforts have focused on comparatively small numbers of refugees by considering the asylum claims of those who arrive at our borders, and resettling refugee families from camps and over-strapped host communities in developing countries.

As UNHCR reported, Canada is now the top resettlement country, resettling 28,100 refugees in 2018 —but that’s only 0.0004 per cent of those displaced worldwide. We reach larger numbers by funding groups such as UNHCR. However, these agencies primarily assist refugees who have crossed international borders, doing little for the majority who are uprooted within their own states.

An improved Canadian response to the challenge of internal displacement could be based on three key pillars: leadership, resources and solutions.

Leadership

Theoretically, leadership in responding to IDPs’ needs and protecting their rights should come from their own governments. In places like Syria and Myanmar, however, IDPs are more hunted than helped by their governments. This means that international officials must step in to address unmet needs.

We need a high-level flagbearer for IDPs, who can work at the international level to advocate for IDPs’ rights, encourage improved government policies and promote effective, co-ordinated responses to IDPs from UN agencies, NGOs and donors.

UNHCR plays this role for refugees who have sought shelter outside the countries, but for IDPs, the UN has only a solitary volunteer expert —an arrangement farcically unsuited to the scale of the challenge. Canada should push for the prompt appointment of a new, prominent, full-time representative of the UN Secretary-General on IDPs, with a fully staffed office dedicated to strengthening responses to internal displacement in cooperation with agencies like the UNHCR.

Systematic & strategic resource distribution

Inequitably distributed resources are also a major barrier to effective responses to IDPs. As a major humanitarian and development donor, Canada should review its aid for IDPs, and prepare a policy to ensure more systematic, strategic support for IDPs, bridging emergency humanitarian relief and longer-term development interventions.

It should also spearhead a broader effort with other donor countries to improve responses to internal displacement.

Children moving a bag of grain through the mud with a wheelbarrow from a food distribution through the United Nations’ Malakal Camp for Internally Displaced People in South Sudan. (AP Photo/ Matthew Abbott)

At a time when aid budgets are already stretched tight, it is hard to hear that more funding is needed. But the reality is that IDP situations are chronically underfunded, with dramatically less spent in support of IDPs compared to refugees facing similar challenges.

This lack of support means that many who would prefer to remain closer to home to tend their crops, safeguard their businesses or care for sick family members have little choice but to make dangerous journeys to seek shelter abroad. It also means that those without the money or physical ability to flee their countries are left high and dry.

To be clear, there is no substitute for refugees’ right to seek asylum. Increased aid for IDPs does not mean that borders can be closed or refugees turned away.

Rather, this is about better responding to the complexity of massive displacement situations in which some people will need shelter outside their countries as refugees, while others may be unable to leave. IDPs should not be sidelined simply because they remain inside their own countries.

Resolving displacement

Finally, we need to refocus on solutions to internal displacement. Canada must co-operate with other donors, governments and UN agencies to promote more comprehensive and systematic support for all those who are struggling to find a solution to their displacement.

From Colombia to the Congo, displacement — internal and cross-border — drags on for longer and longer periods as those forced to flee are unable to safely return or find acceptance elsewhere.

Yet in 2017, over six million IDPs attempted to return to their homes, despite ongoing instability. Many received no support from aid agencies or governments, undermining their ability to return and rebuild. At the same time, thousands of refugees who have repatriated to countries such as Afghanistan have subsequently been internally displaced because they’ve been unable to reclaim their lost homes and re-establish their livelihoods, or have faced violence in their communities.

We must do more to increase the odds that these movements are safe and sustainable.

Forced migration can seem like an insurmountable challenge as displacement rates keep climbing and words of welcome are drowned out by calls to seal up borders and slash aid budgets.

Building on our track record of support for refugee resettlement, we can make progress by standing up for those uprooted within their own countries, creating a broader and stronger response for the millions of refugees and IDPs unable to reach our shores.

Courtesy: The Conversation

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The Sikh congregation at a gurdwara in Surrey held prayers for the victims of Christchurch attacks.
 
The Friday attacks on two mosques by neo-Nazis in New Zealand had left 50 people dead.  
 
On Sunday, the congregation at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple, Surrey remembered the dead and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.
 
What binds the Surrey Sikh temple with those mosques in a faraway country is their own experience with racism in the past.
 
It is the same gurdwara where a temple keeper Nirmal Singh Gill was beaten to death by the skinheads in the parking lot in January 1998. 
 
The temple President Hardeep Singh Nijjar said that apart from that connection, the values of Sikhism demand that we must stand up for everyone without any discrimination.
 
He pointed out that the daily prayers of the Sikhs end with a verse that calls for the well-being of mankind.
 
The development is significant as a Sikh MLA of the ruling right-wing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party in India had tried to justify the Christchurch incident. Manjinder Singh Sirsa is a legislator from Delhi and is also the head of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. 
 
He went on the social media to suggest that the attacks were the outcome of violence being perpetrated by the Islamic extremists. He shared the controversial views expressed by a right-wing Senator Fraser Anning in New Zealand.  Anning had blamed the attacks on Muslim immigrants.
 
Nijjar strongly denounced the statement made by Sirsa and said that it only reflects the mindset of his party that desires to turn India into Hindu theocracy and is known for its anti-minority stance. He believes that a true Sikh will never do that as the Sikh gurus always stood against injustice and oppression without compromising with those in power.  
 
He further said that in view of growing bigotry in North America and the Quebec City mosque massacre that left six people dead in 2017, the Sikh temples are deliberating on increasing vigilance in partnership with other religious minority groups who face similar challenges.
 

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A Booker Prize winner and an author of international fame, Roy is known for her strong stand on human rights, social equality and democracy.

Based in India, Roy has been facing death threats and intimidation for questioning the power and standing up for the underdog. She has been consistently raising her voice through writings and public lectures for religious minorities and oppressed communities at personal risk. Not only has she tirelessly tried to raise awareness on these issues through her essays and storytelling, she has time and again showed up at the grassroots level movements against displacement and state repression of poor and tribal peoples.

She has a big following not only in India, but all over the world. She visited Vancouver at least twice, once during Indian Summer Festival and once to promote her latest novel Ministry of Utmost Happiness.

IAPI was established in 2017 by members of the Indian Diaspora in BC in response to growing attacks on religious minorities and social justice activists under a right wing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party government in New Delhi.

IAPI believes that Roy deserves such an honour, which has earlier been given to several well-respected individuals, such as Nelson Mandela, Dalai Lama and Malala Yousafzai for standing up for human rights. Early in October, Aung San Suu Kyi was stripped of Honorary Citizenship under international and domestic pressure for her silence over the persecution of Rohingya Muslims.

Surrey Centre Member Parliament Randeep Singh Sarai has sponsored the petition numbered E-1896 which can be found on the Canadian House of Commons website by going on the link petitions.ourcommons.ca

If the petition succeeds, Roy will be the first person of Indian origin to be given Honorary Canadian Citizenship in recognition of her work on human rights in the world’s so called largest democracy.

Courtesy: https://countercurrents.org/

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Canada: The autobiography of a philanthropist who lost his wife and two children in the Air India bombing was released in Delta, British Columbia, on Sunday afternoon.
 
Ray of Hope is the memoir of Dr. Chandra Sankurathri whose wife Manjari, son Srikiran and daughter Sarada were aboard the ill-fated Air India Flight 182 that was bombed mid-air in June 1985, killing all 329 people aboard. This was the worst attack in the history of aviation terrorism before 9/11. Widely blamed on the Sikh separatists seeking revenge for the repression of Sikhs in 1984, the attack had turned the life of Sankurathri upside down. Yet, turning his grief into strength, Sankurathri established a foundation in memory of his wife in her native city of Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh in India.
 
The Manjarai Sankurathri Memorial Foundation currently runs a free school and an eye hospital for poor and needy. Whereas, the school is named after his daughter whose dream of going to school was shattered as she was only four. He named the hospital after his son.
 
The memoir was released at George Mackie Library in his absence by other Air India victims’ families and friends and two prominent journalists Charlie Smith and Robert Matas. However, his message was read out at the beginning of the event that was organized by Indians Abroad for Pluralist India (IAPI) in commemoration of the Air India bombing anniversary that falls on June 23. A day before the book launch, the victims’ families had gathered at the Air India memorial in Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada, to remember their loved ones.
 
Among those who unveiled the book were Major Singh Sidhu – who lost his sister, a nephew and a niece and Mandeep Grewal who lost his father. Bhama, a close friend of Dr. Sankurathri joined the unveiling ceremony on his behalf.
 
A short documentary on Dr. Sankurathri’s work was shown at the event that was opened with a Punjabi poem dedicated to the Air India victims by Amrit Diwana. Both Smith and Matas spoke at length about the Air India tragedy and encouraged people to read Ray of Hope that inspires everyone to fight hatred with love. Describing the Air India disaster as an attack on the Indian diversity, the IAPI cofounder Gurpreet Singh threw light on the ugly political events of 1984 that led to the bombing and cautioned the gathering about growing attacks on religious minorities in India from Hindu Right and its impending consequences. He pointed out that the Air India bombing was the culmination of similar violence against Sikhs.
 
Among those in attendance were former British Columbia Premier Ujjal Dosanjh, World Sikh Organization founder Gian Singh Sandhu and University of British Columbia researcher and an activist Sukhvinder Kaur Vinning. Others present included the IAPI cofounder Parshotam Dosanjh and visiting Punjabi leftist activist from India Sardara Mahil.

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Rachna Singh, a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) who represents the Surrey-Grren Timbers electoral district, spoke about the Kathua case urging her fellow legislators to protect children belonging to vulnerable minorities. “Gender violence is one of the most common forms of human rights violations, often occurring during times of crisis or conflict,” said Singh.

Singh, a mother of a 10 year old daughter herself, said, “As if often the case with gendered violence, the perpetrators used this child’s body as a weapon, with the aim of intimidating her community.” Singh spoke about the efforts of several groups that helped raise awareness about the horrific case. These include Global Girl Power that organised a vigil for the little Kathua girl, the Mamta Foundation an organisation that tries to help abandoned girls in India that held posters of the minor girl at the annual Baisakhi parade and the Al Ameen Foundation that also held an event to create awareness.

Singh minced no words as she describes the plight of indigenous women in Canada, saying, “Canada has a long and violent history of violence and abuse, particularly as it pertains to indigenous women and children.” Singh said that Canadians have a moral responsibility to deter that violence and continue to invest in truth and reconciliation efforts. “This is a challenging conversation that needs to happen to put an end to this injustice,” said Singh. She concluded by exhorting her fellow Canadians to rally together to find justice for the little girl.

The entire video may be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/RachnaSinghSGT/videos/1860130154285098/
 

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But many are rightfully praising the policeman’s actions, and at the same time comparing them to the actions taken in other situations that have had significantly different outcomes.

This begs the question: Why didn’t the police officer, now identified as Const. Ken Lam, shoot the suspect? The suspect appeared to be wielding a weapon as he walked toward Lam, and at one point even pleaded with the police officer to shoot him.

Bystander video of a Toronto police officer apprehending a suspect in the Toronto van attack on April 23.

As a former police officer and someone who studies police issues —including use of force — this situation is a case study on how things can go very right.

My initial reaction to the videos of the van driver’s arrest was that the police officer was professional and acting within his own assessment of the situation. This is critical.

Canada’s Criminal Code provides the legal authority for the use of force, but it does not tell an officer what to do in each situation. Likewise, police use-of-force models provide a framework for training and assistance in decision-making. But like the Criminal Code, they don’t provide a legal basis or a rationale for the use of force in any particular situation.
 

Deadly force a possibility

When faced with the threat of death or grievous bodily harm, a police officer is authorized to use force to protect themselves or others, up to and including deadly force. With this authority comes significant responsibility.

Just because you’re authorized to use deadly force doesn’t mean you always should. There are many times when police officers could legally use deadly force, but don’t.

Most of these situations do not show up in the news that evening. These situations mostly pass by unnoticed and unreported. This case made international headlines due to the nature of the crimes being investigated, and the presence of video footage of the arrest.

Clips from YouTube videos shot by people who witnessed the takedown of the man accused of killing 10 people in Toronto by driving onto busy sidewalks show a textbook example of how to apprehend a suspect without firing shots. YouTube
What went right this time?

First, you had a clearly well-trained police officer who was acting in a professional manner. This is what we expect from our police.

The suspect had everything going for him in order to survive his arrest. It took place in bright sunlight, but without the sun shining in the officer’s eyes. The suspect was silhouetted against a white van, which likely provided a clearer outline of the object in the suspect’s hands.
The suspect did not take a typical shooting stance, but stood upright with his shoulders back. He was not aiming an object, but pointing it from the shoulder.

From the video, it appears the suspect was yelling for the police officer to shoot him. He dropped his arm to his side and brought it back up again as if pointing a weapon at the police officer. Again, it he was not a typical shooting stance.
 

Constable de-escalated

This officer clearly had de-escalation in mind. He recognized his car siren was on and went back to turn it off. This shows that he did not have tunnel vision or hearing. With the siren off, clearer communications were possible.

With a good visual of the subject, the actions of the suspect, his calls to be shot and the artificial manner in which he was standing and threatening, the police officer clearly made a decision that the use of deadly force, while authorized, was not immediately needed.

I do not know what the police officer was thinking, but what came to my mind was an attempt by the suspect of a “suicide by cop.” This is a situation where a suspect tries to goad the police into using deadly force.

Police secure an area around a covered body in Toronto after a van mounted a sidewalk and killed 10 pedestrians on April 23, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

This by itself does not negate the risk to police and others. There are occasions when the use of deadly force is appropriate even when it is a purposeful attempt to have someone else kill them. Some suspects do follow through on their threats in order to goad police into the use of force. But not this time.
 

Risk assessment for police officers

The use-of-force models used by police include a risk assessment that asks the officer to take into account the following:

Situational Factors — These include the environment, the number of suspects, the perception of the suspect’s abilities, knowledge of the suspect’s background, time and distance from the suspect and threat cues given by the suspect.

Tactical Considerations — Is there cover, is backup available?

Subject Behaviour — Are they threatening and how are they threatening?

Officer’s Perceptions — Their own assessment of the situation and their abilities to handle it.

This risk assessment, however, does not provide “the answer” to an officer regarding shoot or don’t shoot, or any other use of force.

What it does provide is a framework for decision-making. This is all part of professional police training.

I faced a situation early in my service with the RCMP when I had a male in the sights of my pistol. It was a tense situation, and I felt that the use of deadly force was likely. But my training, in a fraction of a second, took me through an assessment of the situation.

I held my fire because I could not see the weapon that was being threatened, and I was behind cover. I held on until the suspect gave up. He was unarmed.

Decision to shoot not easily made

I have also worked with officers who had the misfortune to have had to resort to deadly force to save their own lives. It is not a decision that is easily made — and it’s one that can be very personal to the officer in the situation.

Their own perception, their own confidence, their training, their reaction to the situation — all have an impact on the outcome.

The courts have sided with police in this decision-making process, ruling that the courts must take into account the reasonably held assessment of the circumstances and dangers they find themselves.

So in this case, we had a trained officer, acting calmly and professionally, with a clear view of the suspect and the object in his hand, indications of an attempt at “suicide by cop,” de-escalation techniques used and a quick surrender. It all led to a successful arrest without the use of deadly force.

One small change in the circumstances, and the outcome could have been very different.

Police do not use deadly force because of the crime the suspect is alleged to have committed, but only due to the threat posed. This police officer made a heroic call. Const. Lam risked his own life to preserve another’s, even when that person was the suspect in a horrendous act that took so many innocent lives.
 

Glenn Hanna, Assistant Program Head, Justice Studies, University of Guelph-Humber, University of Guelph-Humber

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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