Canadian Woman Racism Video: While India and Canada have come at loggerheads diplomatically, Indians living in Canada are the ones who are being collateral damage. While deportation is looming on more than 1 lakh Indians as their Work Permits are coming to an end in December 2024, students are protesting against the Justin Trudeau government and calling him out for advocating the 'use and throw' policy. In the meanwhile, a video went viral on social media when an elderly Canadian woman showcased her middle finger and even passed racial slurs on an Indian-origin man. The man clarified the woman he is Canadian but the woman pointed out that his grandparents and parents were not Canadian and hence he is not Canadian.
In the viral video, the Canadian woman says, "You are not Canadian. I am being aggressive because there are too many Indians in Canada. I want you to go back. Go back to India. Your parents are not Canadian. Your grandma is not Canadian." The man asks, "What wrong did I do to you?"
The woman responded, "How do you speak English?" The man replies, "I speak English and French as well." Thereafter, the man then starts speaking in French ending, "I am Canadian."
The woman then says, "F*ck off." She added, "There are too many students here." The man then says, "I am not a student.'
The woman replies, "You have every argument in the book." The man again asks, "Tell me honestly, what wrong did I do to you?"
The woman says, "You are Indian, your parents are from India, your grandma is from India. It's a crime when too many Indians, and Africans are taking over Canada." The man then asks, "Personally what wrong did they do to you? Just minding my own day and I was going when you showed me the finger. I did you no harm."
The woman then leaves from the spot.
A man named Ashwin Annamalai took to his X handle and shared the video narrating the ordeal saying, "The once welcoming community of Kitchener-Waterloo has seen a disturbing rise in hate, particularly against people of colour. Here’s a personal account of what I experienced today: A random woman gave me the finger & spewed hate while I was out for a walk at Erb/Avondale..She WRONGLY assumed I am Indian and I must leave immediately. When I challenge her very politely she went about her racist rants... She also is upset that there are black people in the community. She also accuses me of not speaking English & that I need to just leave."
"This isn’t an isolated incident. Such hate-filled encounters have been happening regularly since the beginning of the year, & people seem to be getting more emboldened. I’ve spoken about the racism faced by international students in our community," Ashwin added.
Ashwin Annamalai is a former international student who worked closely with Kitchener Centre MP Mike Morrice developing recommendations focused on improving conditions for international students in Canada.