An Ontario politician says he was getting ice cream with his family when two strangers allegedly began hurling racist comments his way.
“It is not the first time this has happened,” Hardeep Grewal wrote in a social media post on Sunday evening. “But today I feel compelled to speak out about how exhausting and painful it is.”
The MPP said he was in downtown Muskoka when one stranger yelled, “Hey turban head, go home,” before speeding off.
Moments later, Grewal says another stranger allegedly walked by and said, “You should all die.”
“In that moment, I was reminded that the fight against hate is far from over,” Grewal explained. “Ontario is our home. It belongs to all of us.”
Grewal was first elected to the provincial legislature in 2022 and represents the Brampton East riding for the Progressive Conservatives.
According to data from Statistics Canada, police-reported hate crimes against the South Asian community has skyrocketed by more than 200 percent over a 10-year period from 2014 to 2024.
“To my Sikh brothers and sisters, stay vigilant, stay proud, and stay strong,” Grewal added. “Hate never wins. Good will always triumph.”
