Published 12:23 IST, October 4th 2019
Canada leader Jagmeet Singh tackles racism gracefully, wins hearts
Canada's Political leader Jagmeet Singh, on Wednesday, won hearts via a response that he gave to a voter who asked him to cut off his turban to look Canadian
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Canadian Political leader Jagmeet Singh, on Wednesday, won hearts through a response that he gave to a voter who asked him to cut off his turban to look ‘like a Canadian’, in Montreal. The matter came in front of the public when a video featuring an interaction between the two surfaced on the internet.
Voter's suggestion to Singh
In the 26-second video clip, the Sikh leader can be seen shaking hands with the voter and greeting him. The man is then seen leaning forward to make a suggestion. He says, “You should cut your turban off and you’ll look like a Canadian.”
Beaucoup de Canadien·nes se font dire qu'on doit changer qui nous sommes pour réussir. Mon message pour vous : ne changez pas qui vous êtes. Tout le monde mérite sa place. https://t.co/T8wDnfsNMi
— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) October 2, 2019
What came as a pleasant surprise was the way Singh handled the situation. He, while gracefully handling the situation, replied, “I think Canadians look like all sorts of people. That’s the beauty of Canada.” The man taking it a step ahead to point out what he was referring to why he was saying it, said, “‘In Rome, you do as the Romans do.” To this, Singh replied, “But this is Canada, you can do whatever you like.” The viral video viral clip was later shared by Singh himself with a caption that read, “Many Canadians are told that we must change who we are to succeed. My message to you: do not change who you are. Everyone deserves his place.”
Netizens react
The video received immense love and appreciation. Viewed over one million times, it garnered several reactions on social media with many lauding the Leader of the New Democratic Party. Many retweeted the video and dropped in warm comments for Singh. The users praised the way he handled the situation and also called his response 'professional' and 'classy'. Some users also said that Singh has never failed to impress them.
Classy response Jagmeet, unfortunately some people are just narrow minded in today's society.
— Gary Williams (@BigGazza121) October 2, 2019
Thank u for such a professional & classy response! You continue to impress me!
— Pugsmiles (@Dar77946755) October 2, 2019
Users further said that it is painful to see racism in Canada and that they were proud of how Singh handled it.
Wow he handled that amazingly. Painful to see racism here in this wonderful country of ours.
— Mary Bank (@lilith7711) October 3, 2019
That was a beautiful way to handle the situation.
— sunita grewal (@sunitagrewal) October 3, 2019
06:52 IST, October 4th 2019