‘This is not India’: Right-wing group disrupts Sikh Nagar Kirtan in New Zealand with haka

Key Highlights

• The protesters performed a traditional Maori haka in front of the Sikh procession and displayed banners reading, “This is New Zealand not India.”However, effective coordination between police and Sikh volunteers ensured that the event concluded without any major untoward incident. Tamaki later shared a video of the protest on social media, with captions such as “WHOSE STREETS?
• KIWI STREETS” and “The True Patriots Are Not Backing Down.”More from World Israel strikes southern Lebanon after evacuation warning, targets Hezbollah infrastructure Ashwini Vaishnaw arrives in Washington for US-hosted critical minerals meeting“Today in Tauranga, our True Patriots answered the Sikh Parade with a haka… not violence, not silence, but peaceful defiance,” the post read. Second incident in three weeksThis marks the second disruption of a Sikh religious procession in recent weeks.
• Nearly three weeks ago, right-wing protesters had confronted a Sikh parade in Auckland that was held to mark the martyrdom of the Sahibzadas, the sons of Guru Gobind Singh. That incident had caused anxiety within the local Sikh community and drew strong reactions from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Akal Takht jathedar and the SGPC. SGPC condemns disruptionSGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami strongly condemned the opposition to the Nagar Kirtan, emphasising that the procession was organised peacefully and strictly in accordance with Sikh religious traditions.“This is the second time such an incident has occurred in New Zealand, which has deeply disappointed the Sikh community,” Dhami said.“Viewing the religious traditions of the Sikh community — which has always made an exemplary contribution to strengthening global brotherhood — with a hateful mindset is completely unacceptable,” he added. Quick ReadsView AllAt least 538 protesters killed in Iran unrest as regime warns US and Israel against intervention‘Sounds good to me’: Trump suggests Rubio as Cuba’s president, issues warning‘Challenge to social harmony’Dhami described the opposition to Nagar Kirtan as an attack on religious freedom and social harmony.“Nagar Kirtan is a sacred religious tradition of Sikhism, and opposing it is not only an attack on the humanitarian values of the Sikh faith but also a challenge to social harmony and mutual coexistence,” he said. Emphasising the Sikh community’s history.