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Indian-origin man Ashwin Annamalai faced racist rants in Canada
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Indian-origin man Ashwin Annamalai faced racist rants in Canada

“You are not Canadian. I am aggressive towards you because there are too many Indians in Canada and I want you to go back there”, we hear him say, asking him several times to return to his home. country of origin.

Later, he is heard accusing him of not speaking English properly. In response, Annamalai begins speaking to him in French, which is one of Canada’s official languages ​​and widely spoken in the country, and asks him to do the same. While the woman claims to know French, she walks away using expletives.

Meanwhile, Annamalai said he recorded a statement with the local police, who told him the matter was currently under investigation. “I don’t know if any action has been taken against her yet,” he said.

The Quint also contacted the Waterloo Regional Police Service, but has not yet received a response.

This incident is the latest in a long series of disturbing events that have taken place in the Kitchener-Waterloo region of Canada over the past year.

According to data released by New Statistics Canada, Waterloo had the highest rate of police-reported hate crimes in Canada in 2023.

Of the 15 hate crimes reported in 2019, Waterloo saw as many as 229 last year, representing 34% of hate crimes in the region per 100,000 residents.

Some analysts have drawn a direct correlation between the growing influx of immigrants into the region and an increase in racist incidents.

This comes as Waterloo is among the top destinations for international students, including Indians and other South Asians, attracting thousands of people from different countries over the years, many of whom eventually become Canadian citizens and settle down in the country.