The council of Mississauga, a city in Canada’s Ontario, passed a resolution to officially recognize anti-Hindu hate in the wake of several Hinduphobic attacks in the city. As the city council took a stand against racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of hate and discrimination, it emerged as equally important to recognize and denounce anti-Hindu hate, the resolution said. The official resolution noted that though Mississauga is home to one of Canada’s largest Hindu communities, incidents of anti-Hindu hate have been frequent, inlcuding vandalism of temples, targeted misinformation and online harassment about local Hindu events and harassment of Hindu students in local schools.“Hate in any form, including anti-Hindu hate, strikes at the heart of who we are as Canadians and undermines people’s sense of belonging,” the resolution said. The city council directed staff to work with Peel Regional Police and other organizations concerned to develop outreach and initiatives to counter anti-Hindu hate.“Mississauga City Council formally condemns anti-Hindu hate in all its forms, including verbal, physical, digital or institutional acts of discrimination directed at Hindu individuals, organizations, or places of worship,” the resolution noted. Recently, a hateful graffiti in the city calling Indians ‘rats’ took centrestage in the racism debate. The city council was moving to ban Diwali firecrackers but did not proceed with the idea. The motion to recognize anti-Hindu hate was introduced by Mississauga’s Indian-origin councillor Dipika Damrela who was born in a Telugu family in undivided Andhra Pradesh. “Breaking news. Historic Development. City of Mississauga becomes the first city in Ontario to formally recognize Anti Hindu Hate. Thank you to #Mississauga council for unanimous support and to all those who delegated,” Damrela posted. “Mississauga City Council has unanimously passed a resolution condemning Hinduphobia. This is a major milestone since Mississauga is the second Canadian city to take this stand and offer public reassurance to its Hindu minority. It is a huge relief coming after years of rising violence against temples and Hindu individuals,” the Coalition of Hindus of North America posted.
