A turbaned Sikh man says he was verbally abused and beaten by a group of men who targeted him because of his brown skin and turban.
Supninder Singh Khehra was punched in the face and kicked last Saturday by strangers, whose attack was recorded on video.
Khehra said 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 said.
However, the Quebec police said the attack wasn't racially motivated.
Still, Khehra said “it means a lot” that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commented on the incident.
Trudeau told reporters in Washington, D.C., that such “hateful acts” have “no place in Canada.”
Police said two men were arrested after the incident. One was let go without a charge. The other, a 22-year-old, faces charges of assault and uttering threats to a police officer.
