Organizers and allies in Montreal stand ground against attempted disruption of event calling out Hindutva fascism

We learned on the evening of Tuesday August 13th that there had been a smear campaign against our event using specious claims of Hinduphobia [4]. A group, Hindu on Campus,  expressed to Concordia University, on social media [5], that they were displeased about our event,  This was followed by condemnations and demands that the university cancel the event by other  right wing Hindu Supremacist [6] groups, like VHP-Canada, Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA [7])-Canada and Canadian Organization for Hindu Heritage Education (COHHE) [8]. These groups objected to the use of “Hindutva fascism” in our publicity material. Among other spurious allegations  was that the event did not highlight the recent targeting of Bangladesh’s Hindu minority.

SADAC and CERAS are  staunch  defenders of minority rights and have  routinely held events focusing on minorities across South Asia. The event’s aim was to address the concern of Hindutva fascism and Hindu right-wing supremacy. It was not an attack on the Hindu religion or observant Hindus.  In fact,that evening, several  speakers vehemently condemned the violence inflicted on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority. The accusations that our event was anti-Hindu or “Hinduphobic” [9] were baseless.

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On August 14th, the day after we learned of the rightwing smear campaign and less than 24 hours before the event, De Seve Cinema at Concordia University, our reserved venue, informed us that they canceled our reservation citing an “administrative” reason. We scrambled, booked  an alternate location and succeeded in holding the event at the new venue.

On August 15th 2024, just before the event started,  a mob  gathered in front of the venue, intent on disrupting the event.  They shouted slogans, claiming  Hinduphobia. They were aggressive and violent, demanding we cancel our event and instead give them space to push their discriminatory agenda. They made misogynistic statements and attempted to intimidate  organizers and attendees at the door, injuring at least one person seriously as they tried to enter forcefully. They tried to block the entrance and clog the corridor, preventing several of our invited guests from reaching the venue and entering. The organizers took numerous steps to de-escalate the situation, by trying to calmly engage with the disruptors, giving them space to protest so long as they did not obstruct the corridor and intimidate the attendees, many of who were elderly and came from communities that have been subject to relentless and dehumanizing violence. After a short delay, the  event continued as planned.  Then,  members of the mob pulled the fire alarm three times to disrupt the speakers. This forced  firefighters to arrive and the building security to call the police, who then escorted the mob outside the building.

Though  the event started late, the attempts by the mob  failed to stop us from creating the space to have the important conversations we had planned.  In spite of the disruption, the event was successfully attended by a large number of participants who also witnessed in real time the dangers of Hindutva ideologies in practice and demonstrated their solidarity by not getting intimidated and engaging with the speakers.

This mob aggression against  the event organized by SADAC & CERAS is a reminder that Hindu supremacist fascists are organizing in Montreal to silence opposing narratives. Thus, the struggle for justice and dignity must continue against the ideology of hate.

We thank everyone for their continued support – those who endorsed the event, those who volunteered and those who attended, or tried to. With this community support, the event was maintained and could raise awareness around the situation affecting religious minorities and marginalized people in India and here in our communities.

– South Asian Diaspora Action Collective (SADAC) and CERAS (Centre sur l’asie du sud)

1. https://www.facebook.com/events/834167702142790
2. https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/south-asia/india/report-india/
3. https://www.npr.org/2019/05/03/706808616/the-powerful-group-shaping-the-rise-of-hindu-nationalism-in-india
4. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d41KjHGfrnJlbM0fLLMJlGADOku4sOu_/view
5. https://x.com/hinduoncampus/status/1823241023977304564
6. https://www.nccm.ca/rss-in-canada/
7. https://bridge.georgetown.edu/research/factsheet-coalition-of-hindus-of-north-america-cohna/
8. https://local-news.ca/2024/04/26/weaponizing-hinduphobia-to-suppress-dalit-and-caste-oppressed-voices/
9. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/we-must-oppose-indian-hindu-nationalist-forces-in-canada/article_f3911d19-3d62-53bc-8380-0709907718c4.html