Witness describes desecration of Komagata Maru memorial

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      A South Asian community activist says he had the worst shock of his life at Harbour Green Park on December 2.

      Pargan Mattu was taking a visiting friend to the Vancouver memorial to the Komagata Maru when a white man, aged about 30, first hit the picture of the boat's passengers with a soccer ball and then urinated on it in their presence.

      Mattu’s friend from India was keen to see the memorial built by the City of Vancouver in recognition of the Komagata Maru episode.

      The vessel with more than 350 South Asian passengers aboard came to Vancouver in May 1914 only to be turned back under the discriminatory continuous-journey law that was aimed at keeping Canada white. The ship remained stranded for two months in the Burrard Inlet before being forced to leave.

      The Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already apologized for the incident in 2008.

      The memorial has a wall bearing all the names of the Komagata Maru passengers and a picture of Gurdit Singh, who charted the vessel to Vancouver aboard the ship along side other passengers.

      Mattu claims that an unknown white man was very abusive and, on being stopped from hitting the picture with a ball, urinated on it.

      Mattu then took some pictures and has passed them on to the Vancouver Police Department. The incident has left Mattu distraught.

      "It is clearly a hate crime and should be dealt with accordingly," Mattu alleged.

      The police are now looking into the incident.

      Gurpreet Singh is a Georgia Straight contributor, and the host of a program on Radio India. He's working on a book tentatively titled Canada's 9/11: Lessons from the Air India Bombings. He has a Facebook page called We Are All Untouchables!!! 

      Comments

      5 Comments

      John Doe

      Dec 6, 2013 at 1:21pm

      Some loser pissin on a wall , cause you got into a fracas about him kicking a ball is hardly a hate crime.

      Ignorance Isn't Bliss

      Dec 6, 2013 at 5:20pm

      It may not be a violent hate crime; then again vandalizing Jewish graves isn't violent. I do agree that he is a loser though.

      cathy

      Dec 6, 2013 at 8:01pm

      For sure he is a loser and losers commit hate crimes.

      please

      Dec 6, 2013 at 10:33pm

      more updates on this incident. Was it a continuous stream of urination, or more of a series of smaller tinkles? How much surface area did he cover during this act? Was it concentrated on particular areas or a broader spray? Had he eaten asparagus??

      Ron

      Dec 18, 2013 at 11:38pm

      Every now and again we keep hearing of these reports apart from the usual opposition by a vocal white minority to Diwali celebrations or bigger houses or rental suites(although later their politicians turn around and approve the exact same thing when it suits them), Goes to show that a large section of BC's White population will NEVER accept the wrongs done to minorities by their kind, let alone fully acknowledge them as part and parcel of the fabric of this city, province and country. The attitude of Vancouver, Richmond and Surrey city councils and the powers that be prove that over and over agian. The recent opposition to South Asian heritage month is a prime example especially coming on the heels of Ontario provincial parliament declaring April as Sikh heritage month.