A Brampton Hindu temple has suspended one of its priests in the wake of violent clashes between protesters at Hindu and Sikh places of worship earlier this week.
A statement from the Hindu Sabha Mandir said the suspension was due to the priest’s “controversial involvement” with protesters on Sunday, but did not elaborate.
CBC News has contacted the temple for more information.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said the priest spread “violent rhetoric” in a post Tuesday night asking the community not to respond to violence and hate.
This is leadership that helps. The vast majority of Sikh Canadians and Hindu Canadians want to live in harmony and do not tolerate violence.
Hindu Sabha Mandir president Madhusudan Lama has suspended the expert who spread violent rhetoric.
Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara… pic.twitter.com/1JacvwniVx
The violence initially broke out at the Hindu temple in Brampton on Sunday afternoon, while Indian consular officials were visiting. Officers were dispatched to the property around noon, Peel police said.
Later in the day, protesters made their way to Westwood Mall in neighboring Mississauga, according to the World Sikh Organization of Canada. More fights broke out a short time later at the Malton gurdwara, a Sikh place of worship on Airport Road in Mississauga.
More clashes broke out outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir on Monday night, prompting Peel police to issue a public safety alert, after they said some participants used weapons at a demonstration at the temple.
Peel Regional Police issued a public safety alert Monday night after they said some participants used weapons at a rally near a Hindu temple in Brampton, Ont., that saw violent clashes between protesters a day earlier. CBC’s Clara Pasieka has more.
The Peel Police Public Order Unit eventually dispersed the groups.
The Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara Council condemned the violence outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir in a statement on Sunday, urging people to “exercise restraint, promote dialogue and work together for peace that is for all communities.”
Brown said earlier this week that he plans to introduce a motion in Brampton City Council to explore the possibility of banning protests outside places of worship in the municipality.
In the neighboring municipality of Vaughan, Ont., city council unanimously approved a bylaw in June to prohibit “organizing or participating in a disruptive demonstration” within 100 meters of “vulnerable social infrastructure,” such as places of worship, schools, child care centers or hospitals.
The city of Vaughan says the ordinance “is not intended to prohibit peaceful assemblies, protests or demonstrations,” including those that are part of a union strike.
