Fines up to $100K for protests at worship halls approved following violent demonstrations in Brampton

Anyone protesting at a place of worship can be fined up to $100,000 under new bylaw changes following violent demonstrations in Brampton.

The new rules were passed on Wednesday and apply to what the city calls a “Nuisance Demonstration.” The tweaks come after clashes between Sikhs and Hindus at a Brampton temple earlier this month that led to the arrests of four people.

Mayor Patrick Brown says the changes make it clear there’s “a right and wrong place of where to protest” in Brampton and that places of worship – whether they be a gurdwara, a mandir, church, synagogue or any prayer hall – are off limits for political demonstrations, he told CP24.

“We don’t want people being inhibited or restricted in their ability to go into their worship hall,” Brown said, adding $100,000 is the “maximum” fine under the new bylaw “if there is a protest that prevents a faith group from praying.”

“This really protects the right to prayer,” Brown said.

The bylaw bans any Nuisance Demonstration from within 100 metres of all places of worship with a minimum fine of $500.

RELATED: Why have violent protests broken out in Brampton and Mississauga?

The city defines a “Nuisance Demonstration” as one or more persons “protesting against something or expressing views on any issue” that intimidates worshipers or if “they are unable to access any Place of Worship.”

“For greater certainty, intimidation can be caused by, but not only by, actions or expressions that incite hatred, violence, intolerance or discrimination,” the bylaw reads.

The bylaw could still see legal challenges under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which ensures both a right to protest and a right to prayer.

The violence started on Nov. 3 when a clash took place at Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton with some carrying flags and banners in support of the successionist movement for an independent Sikh state of Khalistan.

The next day, a massive group of those associated with the Hindu temple attempted to march towards a Sikh temple in Mississauga but were thwarted by police, which led to skirmishes.

Four people have been arrested and charged in connection to the protests in Brampton. A Peel Regional Police officer has also been suspended for allegedly taking part in a demonstration.

Brown says that the tensions are more due to “a grievance with the Indian government or a grievance with the Khalistan movement” and “not between Hindus and Sikhs.”

“I want to underline that – I think, largely, they live harmoniously in our community. But these protests and the agitators pierce that sense of harmony,” adding that leaders in both communities “have gone out of their way to condemn violence.”

Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah has thrown his support behind the bylaws changes to make places of worship off-limits to protestors.

Demonstrations have also been held at Westwood Mall in the Malton area of Mississauga, and police said two planned visits by the Indian consulate scheduled in Mississauga and Brampton last weekend have been pushed back “to allow for tensions to ease.”