UPDATE:

On Friday, Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie finally decided to hoof out Bansal, saying: “He managed to offend two beloved groups in one tweet, and this is completely unacceptable. It is not who I am. I don’t stand for this. It is not who the Ontario Liberal Party is.”

THE World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) said in a statement on Friday that it supports Liberal candidates Gurwinder Singh Dusanjh (Sault Ste. Marie) and Vicky Dhillon (Brampton East) in their calls for the removal of Viresh Bansal as the Ontario Liberal candidate for Oshawa.

In a statement posted online, Gurwinder Singh Dusanjh said, “I urge Leadership to withdraw Mr. Bansal’s candidacy. To do so would send a clear message that our party stands firmly on the side of justice, unity, and respect for all Ontarians, Canadians, humans.”

Vicky Dhillon went even further, stating, “My opinion on Viresh Bansal extends far beyond the comments he made online. This is a matter of right and wrong. I will not tolerate his behaviour or support him. Therefore, I am asking the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party to immediately and officially drop Viresh Bansal as the party’s candidate in Oshawa.”

WSO President Danish Singh said: “We thank Vicky Dhillon and Gurwinder Singh Dusanjh for their brave and principled positions on this issue. The fact that Liberal candidates themselves are having to call for action speaks volumes. [Ontario Liberal Leader] Bonnie Crombie and the Ontario Liberal Party must act now to withdraw Bansal’s candidacy and send a clear message that there is zero tolerance for anti-Sikh hate and bigotry in politics.

“Bansal’s hateful remarks—endorsing extrajudicial killings and using homophobic slurs—should have resulted in his immediate removal. Instead, Ontario Liberal leadership’s lack of action has emboldened those who seek to normalize hate and discrimination.

“The Ontario Liberal Party needs to take immediate action before further damage is done to their credibility.”