While Jyoti Gondek -hailing from a Sikh background was being sworn in as the mayor of Calgary and Amarjeet Singh Sohi became the mayor of Edmonton, the road leading to the Sikh Society of Calgary Gurdwara was being spray-painted with racist graffiti, for the second time in five years, with the local police classifying it as a hate crime.  WSN reports.

On Monday night, the words “Diaper heads” and “Cow f…..rs were found spray-painted on the road leading to the Gurdwara Sahib in the West Springs neighbourhood.

Reportedly, the Calgary Police Service is classifying the racist graffiti incident as a hate crime. “It is unacceptable that anyone in our community feels okay making such derogatory statements about their neighbours, even more so when they went out of their way to make sure that the people they targeted would see it,” said Sgt. Gareth Joels from the CPS hate crimes and extremism unit.

Speaking to a section of the local media in Calgary, Gurdwara President Balihar Singh Dhillon said, “It is time to expose this kind of hate.”

In a press statement, the World Sikh Organization of Canada has strongly condemned the racist vandalism on the road leading to the Sikh Society of Calgary which racist graffiti included insulting language directed at turbans.  In December 2016, the gurdwara walls were defaced with a swastika and profanity. 

“No one should have to read messages like this on their way to worship or anywhere else in our city.”

Racist graffiti in Calgary’s southwest considered a hate crime: policehttps://t.co/Ucc00gczow

— Jagmohan Singh (@thewsneditor) October 27, 2021

WSO President and Calgary resident, Tejinder Singh Sidhu said, “It is disappointing to once again see racist vandalism at the Sikh Society of Calgary gurdwara.  While this incident is concerning, we are even more concerned by a rising number of hate-motivated crimes targeting Sikhs across Canada.  We encourage community members to remain vigilant and report any such incidents to local authorities as well as to the WSO.”