Vancouver – While Thousands chanted “Modi, Modi” to welcome Narendra Modi to Toronto on Wednesday night, there were about 25 groups who collated to protest as the Indian prime minister made his first visit to Canada.
A group of about 150 christian protesters for Modi’s prosecution outside the hockey arena where he addressed to a crowd of nearly 10,000 called, calling him an extremist Hindu nationalist with blood on his hands.
Edgar Faleiro, an Indian Catholic, said his feelings for Modi are mixed because he has seen the country become increasingly divided along religious lines under his leadership… Joyce Almeida, who made the trek to Ricoh Coliseum, protested his arrival. “It’s not a protest so much as highlighting a concern. We Christians in India are a minority and we’re not being protected,” said Almeida, who moved here from Maharashtra, India five years ago.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also arrived at the oldest Sikh temple in Vancouver where several dozen placard-waving protesters gathered about a block away.
Their shouts could be heard at the Ross Street Temple before Modi showed up smiling and waving.
Police cordoned off the building where Modi and Prime Minister Stephen Harper spent about 30 minutes before travelling to a Hindu temple in Surrey, B.C.
Several hundred people were inside to see Modi, who is the first Indian prime minister to visit the oldest Sikh temple in North America.
A press communiqué of Maoist Communist Party staged protest rally boycotting the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 16, at Ricoh Coliseum Entrance (45 Manitoba Drive) Exhibition Place, Toronto.
The protest rally was organised by International Campaign against War on the People of India, Toronto . The slogan displayed during today’s protest are Repeal the AFSPA and Free Manipur!, Stop Operation Green Hunt and the war on the people of India, Victory to the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Victory to Maoist Communist Party of Manipur. The Maoist statement further said that various representatives of Sikh community, and representatives Kashmiri people attended the protest rally.
The statement further added that the Modi’s regime is carrying out a war on the people of India, Operation Green Hunt, in order to cleanse the Indian interior of those undesirables, many of whom are organized with the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and fighting back, that are in the way of resource extraction.
Modi’s detractors say the Hindu prime minister needs to speak out about human rights violations in India against minority groups including Sikhs, Muslims and Christians.