Organizers of a unity rally for India have cancelled this weekend’s London occasion over fears of violence.
This follows tense protests at a Hindu temple within the Larger Toronto Space earlier this week, with a lot of the exercise posted to social media.
Police mentioned some individuals in a Brampton protest this previous Monday had been carrying weapons, and objects had been being thrown. The demonstration got here after violent protests exterior the identical temple on Sunday evening, which spilled over to 2 different areas in Mississauga.
Organizers of the London rally, which was set for Saturday at Victoria Park, mentioned they had been involved that in the event that they didn’t cancel, their occasion would additionally devolve into violence.
Shams Syed and Bhavin Patel, organizers of the now cancelled Rally for Unity (Bryan Bicknell/ London)
“They wanted to come over here in London in large numbers. And we don’t want – whatever the things happen in Brampton – we don’t want that stuff happen over here in London, because London is a very peaceful city,” mentioned Bhavin Patel, the President of Indian Tradition Southwestern Ontario, and a co-organizer of the Rally for Unity.
“They were calling us, and they were coming with their own flag, and all that, which we didn’t want it,” mentioned Shams Syed, co-organizer and President of South-Asian Affiliation London & Surrounding Space. “We just want to have everybody under one flag to show the unity here. So for the safety and the security of the community we decided to cancel this rally,” mentioned Syed.
