Calgary police say “kill Modi” chant not criminal, no arrests made

Calgary police won’t be arresting or charging Khalistani protesters who chanted “kill Modi” at a G7 protest because they do not consider their conduct to be criminal—yet.

Source: Juno News

By Alex Zoltan

Calgary police won’t be arresting or charging Khalistani protesters who chanted “kill Modi” at a G7 protest because they do not consider their conduct to be criminal—yet.

A viral video from Monday showed demonstrators chanting “Kill Modi” during a rally timed with the G7 leaders’ meeting in Kananaskis, Alberta. The chants were in reference to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was invited to join the summit by Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The Calgary Police Service confirmed to True North that while they are aware of the videos circulating online, “this conduct does not appear to be criminal” at this time and that “there have been no arrests” made.

“We are aware of videos circulating on social media from some of the demonstrations and have reviewed them,” a CPS spokesperson told True North.

“We are in contact with the organizers of this rally to ensure their demonstration remains lawful,” the spokesperson continued.

The police added that they “will continue to monitor the behaviour of all demonstrators throughout the G7 Leaders’ Summit.” They said enforcement actions would be taken if public order is disrupted or criminal behaviour is observed, including after-the-fact investigations if necessary.

The rally drew criticism from supporters of the Indian government and prompted questions from some media outlets, including True North, about whether the language used at the protest could amount to hate speech or incitement to violence under Canadian law.

CPS did not directly address whether such language meets the legal threshold for hate speech or incitement, only stating that no criminal charges are being laid at this time.

Modi, who has drawn international criticism for his record on minority rights and press freedom, has also faced growing opposition from diasporic communities abroad.

Anti-Modi demonstrations are not uncommon in Canada, where large Sikh and Punjabi populations have voiced opposition to the Indian government’s policies in Punjab and Kashmir.

A sizable segment of the Canadian Sikh diaspora, in particular, has long been outspoken in its desire to carve its own separatist state out of India’s Punjab region — a not-yet-existent country they refer to as “Khalistan,” which means “the land of the pure.”

Notably, India is not a formal member of the G7—the group comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States—though Modi was invited as a guest alongside other leaders outside the traditional group of seven.

The summit, hosted in Alberta’s Kananaskis region, has been marked by tight security and diplomatic wrangling, including a surprise early departure by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who left Monday afternoon to deal with the unfolding diplomatic crisis in the Middle East according to Assistant White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“Much was accomplished, but because of what’s going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State,” Leavitt said.

For his own part, meanwhile, Trump said that his departure from the G7 had “nothing to do” with a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

“Much bigger than that,” he said. “Stay tuned!”