Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he’s proud of his brother for confronting comments Ontario politician Gurratan Singh says amounted to Islamophobia during a festival in Mississauga this weekend.
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he’s proud of his brother for confronting comments Ontario politician Gurratan Singh says amounted to Islamophobia during a festival in Mississauga this weekend.
In a video posted to Twitter on Sunday, a protester later identified as National Citizens Alliance founder Stephen Garvey confronts Gurratan Singh at MuslimFest, and asks if he supports Shariah law and “political Islam.”
The Brampton East MPP responds, “We don’t need that kind of racism in Canada.”
Security can be seen trying to escort Garvey out while he’s yelling, “I’m not racist. I’m not racist at all.”
During a stop in Hamilton on Monday to mark Labour Day, Jagmeet Singh told reporters: “I gotta admit, I’m proud of my brother for responding with strength, responding clearly that that is wrong.
My brother @theJagmeetSingh taught me to always confront racism.
I will never respond to an Islamophobe by stating, “I am not a Muslim”.
Instead, I will always stand with my Muslim brothers and sisters and say hate is wrong ✊🏾. https://t.co/MaBPc3sBb1
“For so many Canadians this a reality, that what happened to my brother yesterday is not a one-off incident.”
The NDP leader, whose family is actually Sikh, said it’s important to come out against any form of racism.
“Any time I’ve been faced — or any time my brother clearly has been faced — with Islamophobia, the response hasn’t been, ‘Hey, I’m not a Muslim,’ it’s, ‘Hey, hate is wrong and we’ve got to stand together,'” Singh said.
“People, because of their gender, because of their sexuality, because of the colour of their skin, because of their language, because of their religion face that on a regular basis. I want to say to you, don’t give up, believe in who you are, be confident, be strong. But it’s all our responsibility, collectively, to make sure you don’t have to take this on your own.”
The National Citizens Alliance, a registered political party that describes itself as a “true populist, nationalist” party, later took credit for the video on its Facebook.
Gurratan Singh tweeted out the video of the confrontation Sunday, adding he “will always stand with my Muslim brothers and sisters and say hate is wrong.”
Jagmeet Singh has had his own brush with public outbursts. During the NDP leadership campaign in 2017, a heckler interrupted one of his meet-and-greets, and accused Singh of wanting to impose Shariah law and of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.
Singh responded, saying, “We welcome you. We love you.”
