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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issues statement on the 108th anniversary of Komagata Maru

Darpan News Desk Twitter, 23 May, 2022 01:04 PM

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and BC Premier John Horgan both issued statments on the 108th anniversary of the Komagata Maru calling the incident racist and shameful.

We must never forget the pain and suffering caused by the shameful Komagata Maru incident. On the 108th anniversary, let us honour the victims by continuing to fight racism and discrimination in all its forms – and make sure the mistakes of our past never happen again.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 23, 2022

My full statement on the anniversary of the Komagata Maru incident: https://t.co/wXUOkqIGd3
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 23, 2022

In 1914, the Canadian government turned away most of the passengers of the Japanese steamship Komagata Maru, who were Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims and who'd hoped to start a new life in Canada.

The 376 passengers arrived off the coast of B.C. hoping to challenge the immigration laws at the time which refused entry to any Indians who had not arrived in Canada via a continuous journey from the home country — nearly impossible at the time.

Except for 20 passengers who had previously lived in Canada, officials refused to allow the Indians in, even though they were British subjects just like every other Canadian of the time.

The vessel sailed to India, where 19 of the passengers were killed in a skirmish with British authorities and dozens of others were imprisoned or forced into hiding.

BC Premier John Horgan also tweeted about the horrific act.

108 yrs ago, 376 Sikh, Muslim and Hindu passengers arrived on the Komagata Maru seeking a better life.

They were barred entry from BC.

It reminds us of the harms of systemic racism and the resiliency of people standing against injustice, working to build a more equitable BC.
— John Horgan (@jjhorgan) May 23, 2022

Parliamentary Secretary for anti-racist initiatives also shared her voice via a Twitter post.

🙏 https://t.co/qsY0r7bEsi
— Rachna Singh (@RachnaSinghNDP) May 23, 2022

Vancouver Police also shared a post honouring those who were denied entry.

Join us in honouring those who travelled on the Komagata Maru. https://t.co/oAKWuy4MEX
— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) May 23, 2022

The City of Vancouver also issued an apology in the past for this historic wrongdoing and shared a Twitter post to spread awareness regarding the incident.

What was the 1914 Komagata Maru incident?

Listen to passengers’ descendants and families tell the story of what happened this #KomagataMaruRemembranceDay.

Watch the full video: https://t.co/sq3WFfa2lW pic.twitter.com/TQREkaxW6u
— City of Vancouver (@CityofVancouver) May 23, 2022

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