A Sikh family from the West Midlands has been targeted by a member of the public who allegedly assaulted, harassed, and incited racial and religious hatred of the father of the family, Mr Singh, after she noticed he was wearing his kirpan.
Mr Singh was approached by a parent at Ryder Hayes School, Walsall, who asked Mr Singh to conceal his kirpan. When Mr Singh politely refused and explained he is a Sikh, the parent in question allegedly became abusive, threatening, and assaulted Mr Singh.
Staff at the school intervened and attempted to calm down the parent by explaining that Mr Singh is legally permitted to wear a kirpan, but the parent was not willing to listen and launched into a vitriolic attack on Mr Singh, equating him wearing his kirpan to criminals who unlawfully carry bladed items and commit crimes.
For those who don’t know, the kirpan is a religious blade and a mandatory article of faith in the Sikh religion which must be worn at all times by Amritdhari Sikhs, and which the law in the UK permits Sikhs to openly wear without fear of prosecution, harassment or interference with the right to wear a kirpan.
Anyone who discriminates against a Sikh because they wear a kirpan is breaking the law and may face significant legal consequences, including criminal charges of religiously aggravated offences.
Sikh Justice watched the video on the day it happened and was shocked by the level of ignorance-fuelled hatred that we saw in the video from the woman in question. Sikh Justice believe it is in the public interest to share that video so others can witness for themselves the shocking way in which Sikhs, and other minorities, are targeted by members of the public, and also public authorities.
Sikh Justice approached the parent in question for comment, and she denied that she had used such language but the video confirms that she did, in fact, target Mr Singh by asking him to cover up his kirpan because she was seemingly afraid of some unspecified person or “other people” as she put it.
Please exercise caution when viewing the video. If you are very sensitive to religiously motived Hate Crimes then be warned that you may find the contents of this video distressing.
The video clearly shows Mr Singh and school staff calmly explaining to the parent that there has been no crime committed or any safeguarding issues, as the parent had falsely alleged, but the parent does not seem to understand this fact, resulting in her attempting to justify her anti-Sikh hatred by equating Sikhs legally wearing a kirpan to criminals who she appears to be afraid of.
Unfortunately, this is a typical and growing example of the type of discrimination and Hate Crimes Sikhs in the UK suffer from members of the public and also public authorities, especially local authorities and police forces in the UK.
The issue largely stems from an ignorance of the Sikh religion and the rights afforded to Sikhs, yet the government fail to tackle this problem and issue formal guidance to all public authorities which explains the right of Sikhs to wear a kirpan openly and without fear of persecution.
Sikh Justice is working with the Sikh community and public authorities to resolve this issue and to ensure that no Sikh suffers discrimination for wearing the kirpan. Sikh Justice will also be calling for stronger penalties for individuals and organisations who are found guilty of religiously aggravated Hate Crimes and Hate Incidents.
If you or someone you know has been affected by discrimination because of wearing a kirpan please contact us and share your story so we can help end this unlawful discrimination and make a lasting change for the good of all.
Please sign our petition at Change.org – Stop Public Authorities Discriminating Against Sikhs