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South Asian group opposes Hindu safety workshop in Montreal
CoHNA in partnership with the SPVM Hate Crimes Unit, is scheduled to hold its Suraksha session on Aug. 24 at the Centre Culturel et Communautaire Sanaaq
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 22, Aug 2025
- 15:02 EDT
- 23
The poster of the event / X/@CoHNA
A civic education workshop for Hindus in Montreal has drawn criticism from a South Asian community group, leading to controversy over the recognition of Hinduphobia in Canada.
The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), in partnership with the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) Hate Crimes Unit, is scheduled to hold its Suraksha session on Aug. 24 at the Centre Culturel et Communautaire Sanaaq. The program is intended to help members of the Hindu community identify and report hate crimes.
Also Read: CoHNA and Montreal Police to host session to address Hinduphobia
However, the South Asian Women's Community Centre (SAWCC) wrote to the City of Montreal, SPVM, and the venue, calling for the workshop’s cancellation and describing Hindu advocacy as "foreign interference," as well as raising concerns about "Hindu supremacy."
South Asian Women’s Group Targets Hindu Safety Event in Montreal
— CoHNA Canada (@CoHNACanada) August 22, 2025
️In a textbook case of Hinduphobia, SAWCC (South Asian Women’s Community Centre) is pressuring the @MTL_Ville, @SPVM & Centre Sanaaq (venue) to cancel CoHNA’s Aug 24 event in collaboration with SPVM:… pic.twitter.com/F7KLuyqFHG
In a post on X, CoHNA Canada described the pushback as “a textbook case of Hinduphobia,” alleging that SAWCC was pressuring Montreal authorities and the venue to cancel the workshop. CoHNA also rejected the allegations, calling them an attempt to silence Hindu voices.
“Montreal’s civic spaces regularly host sessions on antisemitism, Islamophobia, and immigrant rights. But when Hindus ask for the same opportunity, they are demonized with smears and shadowy innuendo,” the organization said in a statement.
The group cited incidents it described as part of a broader pattern of hostility toward Hindu expression in Canada, including objections to Rath Yatra celebrations in 2023, criticism of a saffron flag during Hindu Heritage Month in 2022, and resistance to a vigil for victims of violence in Bangladesh in 2024.
CoHNA also pointed to research highlighting a rise in anti-Hindu rhetoric. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue reported an increase in anti-South Asian slurs online between 2023 and 2024, while a Rutgers University study warned of extremist networks spreading anti-Hindu disinformation.
Statistics Canada has separately documented a rise in hate crimes targeting South Asians, a demographic that includes a significant Hindu population.
The Suraksha event is set to proceed as planned.
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