New York: A Sikh taxi driver of Indian origin who drives his taxi in the United States was assaulted by an unidentified man in a suspected hate crime, outside the JFK International Airport, according to a video on social media. The assailants also knocked off his turban and used abuses against the driver.
The 26-second video was uploaded by Navjot Pal Kaur on Twitter on January 4, showing a man assaulting the Sikh taxi driver outside the airport. She stated in her caption that the video was shot by a bystander at the airport. The person can be heard allegedly using foul language against the victim. He repeatedly hit him and punched him and knocked off his turban.
It’s not enough to say that we need to fight AAPI hate. We actually need our elected officials to get involved with consequences for those who commit acts of violence against our community. @GregMeeksNYC @NYCMayor @AdrienneToYou @yuhline @rontkim pic.twitter.com/Dkk23lQw0g
— Navjot Pal Kaur (she/her) (@navjotpkaur) January 4, 2022
‘This video was taken by a bystander at John F. Kennedy International Airport. I do not own the rights to this video. But I just wanted to highlight the fact that hatred continues to remain in our society and unfortunately I’ve seen Sikh cab drivers get assaulted again and again’, Kaur tweeted.
The video has created outrage among Netizens and community members. ‘For those who aren’t Sikh, I can’t put into words what it means to have your turban knocked off, or to see someone else’s turban knocked off. It’s visceral and gut-wrenching and just so disheartening to witness’, Simran Jeet Singh, author and Director for the Aspen Institute’s Inclusive America Project, tweeted.
For those who aren’t Sikh, I can’t put into words what it means to have your turban knocked off — or to see someone else’s turban knocked off. It’s visceral and gut-wrenching and just so disheartening to witness.
— Simran Jeet Singh (@simran) January 5, 2022
‘We are only a few days into the new year and there has already been a hate crime committed against a Sikh. A bystander recorded an unidentified man attacking a Sikh taxi driver, ultimately knocking off the driver’s turban.” “No additional details have been released outside of the video, but we know this story too well. A Sikh person goes about their daily lives only to be senselessly attacked by someone. Common road rage between people can escalate when someone who is ignorant of who we are takes their disdain for our turbans and becomes violent’, National Sikh Campaign reacted.
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This is not the first time a Sikh taxi driver has been assaulted in the US. In 2017, a 25-year-old Sikh cab driver in New York was assaulted and his turban knocked off by drunk passengers. In 2019, an Indian-origin Sikh Uber driver was assaulted and racially abused in the US state of Washington in a suspected hate crime. The driver told the police that his race promoted the attack.
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