Sikh temple in Calgary overwhelmed with support after racist graffiti appears

The presidentof a Sikh temple in southwest Calgary says he's been overwhelmed with messages of support after racist graffiti was sprayed on a road outside the temple grounds.

Slurs targeting the Sikh faith were spray painted on Old Banff Coach Road on Sunday night along with arrows pointing at the entrance to the temple.

The incident was reported to police Monday morning. They say it'sbeing investigated as a hate-motivated crime and are asking for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.

Hate-motivated crimes don't carry any extra charges, but applying that labelcan sometimes lead to stiffer sentencesif someone is convicted.

"It's done out of ignorance," saidBalihar Singh Dhillon, president of the Sikh Society of Calgary.

"People are ignorant and have no knowledge. I don't blame them, maybe they are just in a rut in life," said Dhillon.

Dhillon says the city was quick to remove the graffiti from the road, but the pain from the hurtful wordscan last much longer.

"Every word of hatred, hate upsets the peoplewho got hated. Wewant love around us, we want to live together, and when someone tries to disconnect you from the community, it hurts," said Dhillon.

Dhillon says he hopes they can use the incident to talk about racism and bring people together.

"Closing your eyes will not solve the problem. We have to wake up and get together as a community and solve this problem together," he said.

Dhillonsays the temple, at 719 81st St. S.W., has always been supported by the local communityand he has been inundated with messages for the past 24 hours.

"Since yesterday, I don't have time to do anything. My phone is ringing constantly with people saying, 'don't worry, we are behind you,'" he said.

Politicians and others have taken to social media to register their support and to condemn thoseresponsible.

"I am the childof Sikh parents. Iknow what it was like for my dad to be profiledbecausehe wore a turban and to see that kind of thing happening all these years later is incredibly disappointing," said Calgary MayorJyoti Gondek at a press conference Wednesday.

The incident has also been condemned by the World Sikh Organization of Canada.

"It's ironic that the incident comes the same day Alberta saw two Sikhs, Jyoti Gondek and Amarjeet Sohi, become the mayors of its two largest cities," said WSO president Tejinder Singh Sidhu.

It's the second time the southwest temple has been targeted by racistgraffiti.

Swastikas and profanity were spraypainted on the temple in 2016.

Since then, the temple hasinstalled security fencing, gates and surveillance cameras.