People outside the temple in Malton, Ont., on Nov. 5.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown says he wants city council to pass a bylaw to keep Hindu and Sikh protesters away from each other after violent and raucous protests in the Ontario city.
The municipality’s move comes amid rising concern about foreign interference in Canada and as several other suburban centres impose buffer zones for houses of worship to shield them from heated protests by demonstrators responding to rising geopolitical tensions.
In recent days, police in Brampton have made three arrests after skirmishes between Hindu and Sikh protest groups. Local police say protesters on both sides have been wielding sticks, placards or “noxious substances” as weapons at protests where temples have emerged as the focal points.
These tensions are rising as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is alleging that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is engaging in covert campaigns of violence and murder against Sikh separatists in Canada. Last month, the two governments engaged in tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions after Ottawa officials said they have evidence of New Delhi’s involvement in homicides, extortion and violent crime on Canadian soil.
Mr. Brown said in an interview he has himself been briefed by the federal Canadian Security Intelligence Service about the federal government’s foreign interference concerns.
“Mayors get briefings from CSIS, but those briefings are in confidence,” Mr. Brown said. He said he could not speak to details beyond saying he was “well aware” of examples of foreign interference in Peel Region.
In an interview Tuesday, the mayor said his most immediate concern is how sectarian violence has lately gotten out of hand, which is why he is taking steps to pass a new bylaw in Brampton.
“I put forward a motion that will be voted on. I expect it to be unanimously passed, prohibiting protests at places of worship,” he said.
Mr. Brown said the text of the motion could be made publicly available later this week ahead of a vote scheduled for mid-month. His initiative takes inspiration from Vaughan, a municipality bordering Brampton, which took similar steps following protests related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
That Vaughan bylaw passed in June following arrests made outside a Thornhill synagogue. The new measure now prohibits so-called “nuisance” protests within 100 metres of places of worship, schools, child-care facilities and hospitals.
The Vaughan bylaw threatens to impose fines of up to $100,000 against people who violate its conditions.
On Tuesday, the police chief for Peel Region, which includes Brampton and neighbouring Mississauga, appealed for calm in a video posted to social media.
Chief Nishan Duraiappah said the protests of the past few days “have escalated well beyond what is acceptable” and that “a number of agitators intentionally provoked conflict.”
More charges will be laid, the police chief said. “Violence, intimidation and the incitement of hate will not be tolerated.”
Last week in British Columbia, a judge granted a temporary order to establish a safe zone around one of the province’s largest Sikh temples. This was done in advance of expected confrontations between protesters and Indian consular officials in that community.
“It should be banned to do any kind of protest in front of a temple or gurdwara,” said Satish Kumar, president of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, a Hindu temple in Surrey, B.C.
Mr. Kumar said he is meeting with his mayor Wednesday to discuss how to outlaw protests at any religious gathering places. He said if a municipal bylaw isn’t possible then his community will approach the provincial government.
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Sikh secessionist groups within Canada have long been calling for an independent country to be carved from out of India. They are currently protesting moves by Indian diplomats and consular officials to venture outside their consulates and appear within the Canadian temples and community centres.
The government of India says this outreach work is being done as part of an initiative to help expats fill out paperwork related to pensions. But Sikh secessionist groups have been gathering in numbers to decry the initiative, accusing the Indian government of using the work to gather intelligence. The Sikh protests have, in turn, inspired counter-protests by supporters of the Indian government in Canada.
Brampton’s Hindu Sabha temple was the scene of a melee Sunday, with Peel Regional Police saying three men were arrested there and charged with a range of offences, including assault with a weapon, mischief and assaulting a police officer.
Videos posted online showed fights between Hindu temple-goers and Sikh secessionist protesters, with police failing to stop the two groups from engaging in a brawl on the temple grounds.
On Monday evening, Peel Regional Police posted on social media that its riot squad was being sent in to disperse a crowd of protesters whose members were wielding sticks. Police later appealed for the public’s help in tracking down a person who allegedly sprayed a noxious substance.
With reports from Mike Hager