AdminNavjot Singh, a Sikh man living in London and working as an engineer, recently became the subject of brutal racism in Poland. Currently travelling through Europe, Navjot made a pit-stop at a club called Shakers when the incident happened. “On Saturday night, a bouncer at a nightclub in Poland punched me in the face because […]
Navjot Singh, a Sikh man living in London and working as an engineer, recently became the subject of brutal racism in Poland. Currently travelling through Europe, Navjot made a pit-stop at a club called Shakers when the incident happened.
“On Saturday night, a bouncer at a nightclub in Poland punched me in the face because I wear a turban.”
“I was refused entrance to Shakers Krakow because my face and dress didn’t correspond to a man’s view of what humanity should look like.”
“I listened while the bouncer verbally abused me, spat at me, and called me a terrorist. I stood my ground while he and his five colleagues surrounded me, and politely explained why his views were offensive.”
“I offered to shake his hand, agree to disagree and move on, and he punched me with so much force that my turban was knocked off my head. My religion and identity lay in a muddy puddle on the ground, to be trampled and trodden underfoot.”
“They (the police) made a note of the bouncer’s details, but told me that I shouldn’t expect the same treatment in Poland that I would get in the UK. That in Poland, white people and brown people are different.”
“I spent the remainder of the night consoling Steve, who couldn’t comprehend what had happened: “After what we saw at Auschwitz this morning, how is it possible that racism can even exist here?”
“I called my girlfriend. She cried, and said that humanity disgusted her. I think she’s wrong, for the record. Humans can be ignorant, unkind, cruel – sometimes worse. But they can also be beautiful.”
Been a subject of racism, Navjot’s positivism is infectious. He is a strong proponent of solidarity and tolerance among people of different races and this is why his reaction to the Poland incident has made such huge waves across the world.
He says, “Humanity isn’t disgusting. Just the views of a minority. And I’d like to think even they can be changed.
Racists and bigots shout loudly. Their words ring out like gun shots, every act of discrimination a bullet in the soul of humanity.
But our solidarity will shame them. Our compassion will silence them. Our tolerance will blind them. And, in time, their shouts will fade to whispers, and there will be no more ammunition.
~ Source- IndiaTimes