Grewal Condemns Vandalism at Vedic Hindu Temple

Fleetwood-Port Kells MP Nina Grewal joined with other members of the community to condemn recent acts of vandalism against the Vedic Hindu Temple in Surrey. On the night of Saturday June 22nd two individuals used a baseball bat to smash the glass doors and windows at the entrance of the Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Laxmi Narayan Mandir.

“Attacks on places of worship whether those places are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Sikhs, Hindu or something else are unacceptable in a society that values religious freedom and social tolerance,” declared MP Grewal. “What happened on Saturday night was disgusting and reprehensible. We must all join together to condemn this heinous crime and urge that anyone with information on the crime report it to the proper authorities.”

“The Government of Canada strongly condemns attacks on all faith groups. What happened at the Surrey Hindu Temple hurts the spirit of Canada and who we are as Canadians. We cannot allow it to go without public condemnation so that it is clear to everyone that the people of Surrey will not stand by and allow these crimes to go unpunished.”

MP Grewal also joined with those present to pay tribute to the victims of the Air India tragedy on the 26th anniversary of the worst act of terrorism in Canada’s history. “I denounce violent extremism at every opportunity and we must also denounce the extremist organizations who advocate violence or vandalism.”

“As they left the apparent safety and security of Canada, the passengers of Air India flight 182 had no reason to believe that cowardly plotters had unleashed a senseless, deadly fury. Our government’s most solemn duty is to keep its people safe and to ensure that everyone knows that any act of hatred, racism or intolerance will not be tolerated. Canada must be a safe haven to protect all of us from terror, hatred and any form of discrimination,” concluded MP Grewal.