Vaisakhi parade risky for MP Ujjal Dosanjh and MLA Dave Hayer: organizer
 

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Vai...158/story.html


aisakhi parade organizers say Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh and B.C. Liberal MLA Dave Hayer are not invited to attend the annual Surrey event — and if they do show up, they'll be responsible for their own safety.

Inderjit Singh Bains, an organizer of the parade, made the comments Thursday morning on The Gurvinder Dhaliwal Show on the Sher-E-Punjab radio station.

Both Dosanjh and Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts lodged complaints with the RCMP Thursday after being contacted by The Vancouver Sun, which obtained an English transcript of the radio show commentary.

In a telephone interview later, Bains said it was the decision of the committee organizing the parade not to invite Dosanjh or Hayer and, therefore, it was not the organizers' responsibility to ensure the politicians' safety if they decide to attend.

No one else's security would be an issue at the parade, he added.

"Just only two persons," said Bains. "Everybody else is no problem."

He noted on the radio show that all the floats in Saturday's parade will carry the flag of Khalistan, and display photos of "Sikh martyrs."

Dosanjh, a moderate who has distanced himself from such fundamentalist views, is a longtime critic of Sikh extremism who was severely injured in a February 1985 beating by a suspected member of the International Sikh Youth Federation, a banned terrorist group.

He said he has never been to the parade and has no plans to go.

However, he has lodged complaints with the RCMP's protective services unit and the RCMP detachment in Richmond, where the radio station is located.

"I'm somewhat shocked and disappointed that they would issue what appears to be implicit threats against people like myself, who are absolutely peace-loving," Dosanjh said in an interview from Ottawa.

"This is intimidation and I don't believe in this day and age a Canadian parliamentarian . . . should have to put up with these nonsensical threats."

Gurvinder Dhaliwal, the host of the radio show on which Bains was speaking, denied the comments were meant to be a threat.

He recalled Bains saying that Dosanjh and Hayer were not invited because they create controversy by making negative statements about slogans in the parade.

If they attended the parade and had disagreements with people of different viewpoints, then it would be up to the politicians to settle those disputes, Dhaliwal recalled Bains saying on his show.

"If [Dosanjh and Hayer] want to come they can come, but their safety and security, they are [responsible] for that because organizers and all the people are not happy with them and their statements," Dhaliwal said.

Watts called that position nonsense, and contacted RCMP Chief Supt. Fraser MacRae, head of the Surrey detachment, who has planned a meeting today with parade officials.

City hall staff has been working for a year on the popular parade, and organizers have vowed there would be no problems or controversial floats, Watts said.

She said she did not know Bains, and that he was not one of the people city hall had been speaking with about the parade.

"This is absolute nonsense where the rhetoric gets ramped up right before the event," she said.

"This is something that will not be tolerated. This is a community event . . . not a political event."

She said there were no problems at the parade last year and she does not fear for her own safety while attending it.

Hayer — son of Indo-$Canadian Times publisher Tara Singh Hayer, who was gunned down in 1998 while he was on the Air India witness list — also vowed to file a police complaint.

"These roads the parades go on are public roads, paid for by the taxpayers. They can maybe have their own personal views inside the temple, but once they go in a public place they have to respect the Canadian Charter of Rights," Hayer said.

"To me, what [Bains] has done is try to promote people to cause problems at the parade rather than try to unite the people and show respect.

"It's always shocking to me. When you look at the birth of Khalsa, Vaisakhi Day is something to celebrate cultures and celebrate religion instead of trying to damage the reputation of the Sikh community."

An estimated 80,000 people attend the Vaisakhi parade each year in Surrey, making it one of the largest outside India. Vaisakhi Day marks both the new year and the anniversary of one of Sikhism's most important events, the establishment of Khalsa in 1699.

However, last year the organizers' stage included some controversial images, such as posters depicting the assassins of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi as martyrs.

lculbert@vancouversun.com

jfowlie@vancouversun.com

With files from Kim Bolan


The mayor of Surrey really needs to get her head out of her ass.

wow... sounds like there's a burgeoning extremism issue right in our backyard....

you would think something like this wouldn't be allowed to fly...

Could you Imagine if there was an Islamic celebration that had floats of Bin Laden or suicide bombers??

Plus they made it known that Certain Politicians wouldn't be accepted and if they showed their Safety is at Risk....

Could you fucking imagine what would happen???? My God....



edit: the organizers would probably end up in Guantanomo Bay and those who attended would be on Airport Watch Lists

burgeoning??? They already blew up a plane and attacked and murdered people who spoke out against them and some of the groups in the parade are banned in Canada.

i should have said a resurgence, rather than burgeoning

http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/w...f?t=1244847953

Although I don't go as much anymore, I want to clarify something before all attendees get brandished as extremists.

The reason I would go to the parade was to walk around with family and friends, socialize with others and eat free food. It never felt like a religious event but rather a community event.

The extremists make up a small minority of the event and don't necessarily represent the voice of all those attending.

Kev

If you want to socialize you should have gone to the parade in Vancouver that the had last week.

What does that parade celebrate anyways?

So is this a fun event anyone of any race can attend? Does it have cool stuff like cultural food stands and things to see?

Looking for something to do on a sunny Saturday.

So is it like Chinese New Year in a way?

For those that have never been. The parade was celebrated in Vancouver this past weekend and will be celebrated in Surrey this weekend.

The Vancouver one is the "fun" one in my opinion. Anyone is welcome.

fucking fundis makin everyone look bad.

ya man. anyone can go. grab some free food walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds. only reason why i dont go to the surrey one is because im gonna loose it if i get stared down by 1 more fucking surrey jack.

Yes they do but they also have displays showing pictures of known terrorists.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3363/...54c62a0082.jpg




Also looks like Gordon Campbell will not be attending.

Can someone enlighten me to why they post up these signs? Who does it? Why they do it? and why they are allowed to be put up?

Thanks

They want to create a country called Khalistan (or a Sikh nation)

so those guys are their heroes

yup, same here. i cant stand all the phudu's walking around in their ed hardy and affliction shirts just staring down everyone for no good fucking reason. not to mention all the girls they try to mack on while their families are around, there's some real bright cookies that live here.

their sikh extremists who want to separate from india and create their own retarded nation. all sikhs aren't this way, just the fucking retards are.

RS Punjabi meet/beatdown crew?

RS crew assemble in Surrey

LOL..good that fat slob is not attending. He will probably be drinking and driving somewhere instead

we got 4, everyone call your cousins.

Location: Surrey


Makes so much sense

I've always stuck with Vancouver; I have no interest with the BS that swirls around the Surrey parade.