An Indian-origin Sikh taxi driver has been assaulted by an unidentified man outside the John F Kennedy International Airport, New York, US.
According to a video on social media, the unidentified man has knocked off his turban and used expletives against him.
Navjot Pal Kaur shared the undated 26-second video on Twitter on January 4 in which a man can be seen hitting a taxi driver and abusing him. She said a bystander shot the video at the airport.
The person can be heard allegedly using expletives against the Sikh man. The assaulter repeatedly hit and punched him and knocked off his turban.
“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 led to widespread reactions by the community members.
“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, author and Director for the Aspen Institute’s Inclusive America Project, tweeted.
The National Sikh Campaign said, “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,” it said.
Earlier as well, Sikh people have been targeted in the US. In 2019, an Indian-origin Sikh Uber driver was assaulted and racially abused in Washington in a suspected hate crime. In 2017, a 25-year-old Sikh cab driver in New York was assaulted and his turban knocked off by drunk passengers.
