Police have declared that the suspects involved in an incident involving a Sikh man from Toronto weren’t targeting a specific religious community.
Quebec City police issued a French-language statement Tuesday, stating that the suspects in question had been involved in two other events before the incident on March 26.
The statement also references a high concentration of people under the influence of alcohol in the area, and praises an “action plan” that the police say has caused unruly behaviour in the area to decrease.
The statement names neither the accused nor the alleged victim of the attack.
Court documents show that Gabriel Royer-Tremblay of Quebec City has been charged with one count of assault against Supninder Singh Khehra and one count of uttering threats.
Khehra told CTV News last week that he was out with friends after dark and trying to hail a cab when a car full of men approached and started shouting at him in French, swearing and pointing at his turban.
Video of the incident shows Khehra turning to ignore the men’s verbal insults before they get out of the car.
Khehra said he was punched in the eye and fell to the ground, where he was kicked repeatedly. He said his turban “went flying off.”
“It was all because of my race, my colour and the headgear I was wearing,” he added.
In the video, a police car can be seen rolling up moments after Khehra is thrown to the ground. The attackers can be seen running back to their vehicle when the police car arrives.
Khehra said the incident left him feeling saddened.
“I’m really worried about the safety and wellbeing of young kids of my community who wear turbans,” he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commented on the incident last week, telling reporters in Washington, D.C., that such “hateful acts” have “no place in Canada.”
