OTTAWA — One day after Jagmeet Singh denounced terrorism in all its forms, a new video of the federal NDP leader has surfaced — this one at a seminar on Sikh sovereignty where a fellow panellist says violence can help achieve independence.
The video, posted on YouTube by the U.K.'s National Sikh Youth Federation, was shot in 2016 at an event focused on Sikh independence.
In the four-minute video, Singh is seen discussing the idea of independence, although he does not endorse it.
At the same event, Shamsher Singh — the foundation's co-founder and a well-known supporter of Sikh independence — discusses two visions of the Sikh identity: one that endorses violence as legitimate form of resistance and survival, and another that embraces conformity, assimilation and political subservience.
All the while, the future NDP leader can be seen sitting quietly with his head down, and appears to be looking at his smartphone.
On Wednesday, Singh defended his 2015 appearance at a pro-Sikh independence rally in California, saying he was there as a human rights advocate and endorses "love and courage" over violence and rage.
My statement regarding an event I attended in San Francisco in 2015: https://t.co/qgCAnllAr2
— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) March 14, 2018