As an Indian author, I watch recent events in Canada with deep distress, a country that has historically prided itself on inclusivity, multiculturalism, and the rule of law. The burning of the Canadian national flag during the Israel-Hamas protests in Vancouver has stirred emotions across the country. Understandably so.
The Vancouver Police Department’s strong condemnation of this act is not just expected, it is necessary. In a country where the flag symbolizes unity, sacrifice, and shared values, such a desecration is bound to spark outrage. The police were quick to call the act “shameful,” and I wholeheartedly agree. Burning a nation’s flag is an assault on the soul of the people it represents.
The fundamental freedom of expression is guaranteed to everyone in Canada under Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Vancouver Police Department defends everyone’s democratic right to lawfully assemble and to express themselves. We have a responsibility… pic.twitter.com/821odgzCnx
— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) October 8, 2024
But as I read the news and watch the outpouring of condemnation, I cannot help but wonder: Where is this same level of indignation, this same sense of urgency, when the Indian flag is desecrated on Canadian soil? Where is this swift response when Khalistan extremists tear apart, trample on, and burn the Indian tricolor in cities like Toronto and Vancouver? Why is it that when the Indian flag is violated, the Canadian government and police are content to remain silent, cloaking themselves in the rhetoric of “freedom of expression”?
At a Khalistan demonstration in Calgary, Sikh protestors used daggers and swords to rip apart Indian flags.
— Riley Donovan (@valdombre) March 18, 2024
Supporters of India gathered on the other side of the street and shouted back.
When Canada imports the world, we import the world's problems. pic.twitter.com/W3Fhw6nEjT
The hypocrisy is galling. When the Canadian flag is burned, it is a direct insult to national pride, and rightly, the police react strongly. However, when extremist groups tear apart the symbol of India—my nation, with its history of unity in diversity and its fight for freedom—the act is brushed aside, dismissed as an expression of free speech. Why is the dignity of my country’s flag treated as less worthy of protection?
We cannot ignore that these acts of desecration by Khalistan supporters are not isolated protests but deliberate provocations aimed at fostering hatred. These extremists do not just express dissent; they seek to divide, to inflame tensions within the Indian diaspora. Yet, Canada’s government and police force, in their reluctance to act, seem to tacitly condone such divisiveness. By allowing the Indian flag to be repeatedly disrespected, they send a troubling message to millions of people of Indian origin: that our identity, our national pride, is somehow less valuable.
🇨🇦 Meanwhile in Canada: Khalistan supporters burn & tear apart the 🇮🇳 Indian flag, lynch an effigy of Indian PM and chant death threats
— Sputnik India (@Sputnik_India) September 19, 2024
video credits: social media https://t.co/Ou02NZFKR4 pic.twitter.com/zVbzgfxKa0
To be clear, I am not advocating for the curtailing of free speech. The right to protest is fundamental in any democracy. But that right does not—and should not—extend to acts that incite hatred and cause harm to entire communities. There is a line between protest and provocation, between dissent and desecration. When that line is crossed, when a nation’s flag is burned in an act of contempt, it is no longer merely an exercise of free expression—it is an act of aggression.
It is worth asking why the desecration of the Indian flag does not elicit the same police action as the burning of the Canadian flag. Is it because the Indian community is viewed differently in Canada? Or is it because the idea of India—a nation that celebrates its diversity and unity—is seen as less deserving of respect? Whatever the reason, the message is clear: the Canadian government and its institutions apply different standards to different nations.
Every year Khalistani outfit SFJ announces monetary rewards for burning Indian flag & hoisting Khalistan flag on 15th August.
— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) August 3, 2022
But when youths get arrested, forget rewards, they don't even have a penny for bail. Their families suffer.
Listen to Sikh preacher Baljit Singh Daduwal pic.twitter.com/E7XpxQkMkp
For Indians across the world, the tricolor is more than just fabric. It is the blood of our freedom fighters, the resilience of our farmers, the innovation of our engineers, and the dreams of our children. To see it desecrated, while the authorities remain silent, feels like a personal affront to every Indian, both in India and in the diaspora.
To the Canadian government and the Vancouver Police Department, I say this: Protect your flag with all your might. Condemn its burning with the fierce urgency it deserves. But extend the same courtesy, the same respect, to the Indian flag. To protect one nation’s symbol while disregarding another’s is not just a double standard—it is an insult to the very values of equality and justice that Canada claims to uphold.
In moments like these, the Indian community feels the sting of betrayal. The idea that one flag is worth more than another, that one group’s pride is more sacred than another’s, strikes at the heart of what it means to belong in a global world. Canada, a nation built on the principles of respect and dignity for all, must do better. If you stand for freedom, stand for it equally. If you condemn flag-burning, condemn it universally.
It is time for Canada to reflect on its values. If the nation’s leadership is truly committed to equality and justice, they must stop turning a blind eye to the desecration of the Indian flag. Just as the burning of the Canadian flag rightly sparks outrage, so too should the desecration of India’s flag be met with firm condemnation and swift action.
After all, respect, like freedom, is not something you give in parts. It is something you give wholly—or not at all.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Khalsa Vox or its members.
