Symbols and suits

Sikh extremism enters mainstream Canadian politics

Young men wear International Sikh Youth Federation T-shirts at a Vaisakhi Parade, April 7, 2007, in Surrey, B.C. The ISYF is banned as a terrorist organization by the governments of Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and India. CBC

Terry Milewski, CBC News | Every year, Canada’s Sikh community enjoys colourful spring parades to mark Vaisakhi Day—the anniversary of the Sikh religion. But a disturbing brand of extremist politics has surfaced at some of these parades. The insignia of illegal organizations were on display this year at the parade in Surrey, B.C., and floats featured “martyr” pictures of Sikhs who the Canadian government considers guilty of terrorist crimes.

These shaheeds, or martyrs, are said by their supporters to be heroes of the armed struggle by Sikh extremists to carve out an independent nation called Khalistan in the Indian state of Punjab.

It was Khalistan separatists who blew up Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985. The bombing killed 329 passengers and crew, most of them Canadians. A second bomb killed two baggage handlers who were moving luggage to another Air India flight at Narita Airport in Tokyo.

Bomb-maker Inderjit Singh Reyat of Duncan, B.C., was convicted in both bombings. But the bomb plot leader, Talwinder Singh Parmar, fled the country in 1988 and was killed by the Indian police in 1992.

Talwinder Parmar was the founder of the Babbar Khalsa, which is officially listed as a terrorist organization in the European Union, Canada, India, and the United States. Canadian courts have established that that Parmar was the mastermind of the Air India bombing. That makes him the worst mass murderer in Canadian history. Even so, Parmar was portrayed as a shaheed on two of the parade floats in Surrey this year.

Two leading Sikh politicians refused to attend the Surrey parade, saying it amounted to a glorification of terrorism. But many other politicians did attend—Conservative, Liberal and NDP. None of them condemned the Parmar pictures.

Published 07.06.28 02:00:00 -0500 GMT | Posted by Andrew Garib on 07.06.29 | |

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