On Thursday 8 October, a series of anti-Sikh hate incidents took place across Ilford, Gants Hill and Newbury Park. It is vital that ALL incidents of racial or religious abuse, harassment & intimidation are reported to the police.

Recent reports of racially and religiously aggravated incidents involving Sikhs on public transport and in public spaces have highlighted a serious concern: too many incidents of hate go unreported.

The only victory here is Jaggi’s and his family’s. His strength and commitment to Sikhi and his fellow poltical prisoners is inspiration. His family, his in-laws standing by him shows their character. Coming out of prison his first words were for the release of Sikh poltical prisoners. And bail is a major relief to him, it improves his conditions and ends his confinement, and that should be celebrated. But it’s far from victory. In the context 9 years to get bail demonstrates how powerless and useless Sikh poltical lobbying is as a strategy for harm reduction. Jaggi was presented as a helpless victim, the context of fellow Sikh poltical prisoners was erased from the campaign, Jaggis own politics was erased yet none of that gained him the slightest sympathy. The MPs now celebrating this did nothing. Multiple prime ministers, foreign secretaries, did nothing. Sikh orgs made noise but ultimately passed the time and failed to build a meaningful campaign around Sikh poltical prisoners, Khalistani, Sikh resistance. That introspection is missing and victory discourse devoid of context and reflection on reality just allows people to pat themselves on the back.

Jagtar Singh Johal freed on bail after nine years in Indian prison bbc.in/4hGedPv