An unidentified man assaulted an Indian-origin Sikh man earlier this week at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in a suspected hate crime. After a video of the event was shared on Twitter on Tuesday, it went viral on social media.
On January 4, Navjot Pal Kaur shared an undated 26-second video to the microblogging site Twitter, depicting a man attacking a Sikh Indian-origin cab driver outside the airport. A bystander at the airport, she said, captured the footage.
The assailant can be heard reportedly abusing the victim with vulgarities. The assailant was seen continually striking and punching him, causing his turban to fall off.
“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,” Ms Kaur Tweeted.
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 (@navjotpkaur) January 4, 2022
There were no further facts regarding the driver or the reason of the accident available at the time of writing of this report.
Twitter users reacted angrily to the video. Many people were outraged by the occurrence and asked that it be investigated thoroughly.
“Another Sikh cab driver assaulted. This one at JFK Airport in NYC. So upsetting to see. But it’s crucial that we don’t look away… What I am sure of is how painful it is to watch our fathers and elders get assaulted while they’re just trying to live an honest life.”
“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 tweeted.
Another Sikh cab driver assaulted. This one at JFK Airport in NYC.
— Simran Jeet Singh (@simran) January 5, 2022
So upsetting to see. But it’s crucial that we don’t look away.pic.twitter.com/43s0jXMLSt
“That humble man is on defensive because he is on a foreign land and he doesn’t know if he will have community support. You try this here!” tweeted Partho Chakravarty.
That humble man is on defensive because he is on a foreign land and he doesn’t know if he will have community support. You try this here!
— Partho Chakravarty (@ComPartho) January 5, 2022
Executive response to the incident
The event has been termed as “deeply disturbing” by India’s Consulate General in New York, that raised it with US authorities and urged them to investigate.
On Saturday, the Indian Consulate General in New York tweeted, “The assault against a Sikh taxi driver in New York is deeply disturbing. We have taken up the matter with US authorities and urged them to investigate this violent incident.”
The assault against a Sikh taxi driver in New York is deeply disturbing. We have taken up the matter with US authorities and urged them to investigate this violent incident.@PMOIndia @MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar @IndianEmbassyUS @NYCMayor @NYCMayorsOffice
— India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) January 8, 2022
1/2 We are deeply disturbed by reports of an apparent attack on a Sikh cab driver at J.F.K. airport, captured on video last week. Our diversity makes the U.S. stronger, & we condemn any form of hate-based violence.
— State_SCA (@State_SCA) January 9, 2022
The attack on the Sikh cab driver at JFK International Airport was termed as “very disturbing” by the Department of State’s South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau, which condemned all forms of hate-based violence.
Similar incidents of attack on Indian-origin Sikh drivers in past
This is not the first time a Sikh cab driver in the United States has been assaulted. In a suspected hate crime, an Indian-origin Sikh Uber driver was beaten and racially harassed in the US state of Washington in 2019. The driver informed cops that he believed his race led to the attack.
A 25-year-old Sikh cab driver in New York was beaten and had his turban ripped off by intoxicated passengers in 2017.
