Canadian Sikhs protested outside the Indian embassy
Vancouver police officers have stepped up security measures and the Conservative Party has talked about a foreign agent registry.
It's been a week since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a sensational accusation linking "agents of the Indian government" to the June assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The allegation sparked a diplomatic standoff between the two countries, and already today supporters of Nijjar and the Free Khalistan movement demonstrated outside the Indian consulate in Vancouver.
In anticipation of the action, local police blocked the street near the embassy and put up barriers. A large number of law enforcement officers also pulled up to the consulate building. Vancouver authorities say they have no information about any threats to the Indian embassy staff. The World Sikh Organization issued a warning in advance about possible provocations and called for vigilance.
The protesters in Vancouver demanded international attention to the issue and a tougher stance against the Narendra Modi government. They also defiantly tore the Indian flag into two pieces.
The Sikhs of British Columbia were supported in Toronto. There, a "Free Khalistan" rally was spontaneously organized — also near the Indian Embassy. Ontario protesters brought a cardboard figure of Modi to spit on.
Tejinder Singh Sidhu, president of the organization, called for further investigation and finding the killers of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Jasraj Hallan, a member of the House of Commons and Conservative Party representative from Alberta, agreed:
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