Surrey residents add voices to outcry over India citizenship law

Dozens of residents in Surrey, B.C., protested in solidarity Sunday with those in India and around the world to condemn what they call anti-Muslim legislation.

There is widespread unrest in India following the passing of a new citizenship law.It law allows Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities who are in India illegally to become citizens if they can show they were persecuted because of their religion in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It does not apply to Muslims.

At least23 people have died during clashes between demonstrators and police in northern India.Here in Canada, protesters like Itrath Syed say it's important to speak out about the law.

"It's a very important moment for us to stand up globally, and resist this law," Syedsaid from Holland Park in Surrey on Sunday at a rally organized by a group calledIndians Abroad for Pluralist India.

It was one of several rallies held across Canada about the new citizenship law.

• Protests against Indian citizenship law as divisive politics play out in Canada

Gurpreet Singh was one of the organizers of the Surrey rally and says the new law is discriminatory.

"You cannot discriminate people on the basis of their religion," he said."If you have accepted refugees, you cannot just say Muslims are not welcome, but everybody else can come."

Watch protesters speak out at Holland Park in Surrey:

'They expect us not to rise'

5 years ago

Duration 0:42

Protesters in Surrey speak out against a new citizenship law in India that they say is discriminatory.

Critics have slammed the law as a violation of India's secular constitution and have called it the latest effort byPrime Minister Narendra Modi'sgovernment tomarginalize the country's 200 million Muslims.

Modi has defended the law as a humanitarian gesture.

• Death toll in India citizenship law protests climbs to 23

Annie Ohana, who attended the rally in Surrey, says the violence around the law is unsettling.

"State violence has really ramped up, and people are being killed over simple dissension to a law," she said.

Protesters in Surrey are joining the call for theact to be repealed. Syed says it is a threat to global democracy.

"We need to stand up against this in principle no matter where we see this, because this goes against the basic democratic rights, basic human rights, and it goes against the principle of the equality of citizenship, and that's the principle that we have to be here to defend," she said.

She and others also want CanadianPrime Minister Justin Trudeau to speak out against the citizenship law.

"Mr. Trudeau should break his silence," said Singh. "He should step up. He should say something, he has not uttered a single word."

The Canadian government has issued a travel warningfor the area.India's Supreme Court will review the constitutionality of the bill in January.