Condemning Uniformed HSS Members, Bhagwa Dhwaj Display at Canada Day Parade
July 8th, 2025
On July 1, 2025, Justice For All Canada was made aware that over 130 members of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) marched in the Canada Day parade in Toronto. Photos and videos shared online show HSS participants marching in uniform, carrying both the Canadian flag and the Bhagwa Dhwaj, the saffron flag that represents the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Canadian leaders and the public must know that the HSS is the international wing of the RSS, a paramilitary group in India with a well-documented record of promoting anti-Muslim, anti-Christian, and caste-based bigotry. With longstanding ties to India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the RSS was founded by leaders who openly expressed admiration for European fascist figures such as Mussolini and Hitler. Members and groups affiliated with the RSS have been implicated in violence and policies targeting religious minorities, documented and condemned by human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and others.
The RSS is not a cultural organization: it is rooted in Hindutva, a supremacist political ideology seeking to remake India into a Hindu-only state.* Leading human rights groups and UN experts have raised alarms about the escalation of hate speech, mob violence, and discriminatory laws against Muslims and other minorities under the influence of RSS-linked politics. Civil society groups across North America have also called for the banning of the RSS in Canada, including its designation as a terrorist entity.
While Canada supports freedom of belief and assembly, there is a clear difference between cultural pride and political symbolism rooted in violent ideology. It is highly unsettling and concerning to witness the presence of RSS-linked symbols in a public civic event, particularly one celebrating Canada’s values of diversity and inclusion. Such imagery legitimizes a movement known for inciting violence and spreading hate abroad, while silencing and marginalizing those who have fled persecution from the same ideology.
We urge Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, parade organizers and public officials to critically examine how participation takes place at public programs. Canadian platforms must not be used to sanitize or normalize symbols of violence and exclusion. These actions have consequences for the safety, dignity, and rights of South Asian communities in Canada, who already experience threats, discrimination, and transnational repression due to this hate movement. Justice For All Canada encourages supporters of peace and tolerance to share the following resources with Mayor Chow and their local MP:
Canada must remain inclusive for all and reject ideologies rooted in exclusion or supremacy. We encourage cities to reflect Charter values of equity and unity that bring our diverse communities together.
*Separate from, and not to be confused with, the religion of Hinduism.
On July 1, 2025, Justice For All Canada was made aware that over 130 members of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) marched in the Canada Day parade in Toronto. Photos and videos shared online show HSS participants marching in uniform, carrying both the Canadian flag and the Bhagwa Dhwaj, the saffron flag that represents the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Canadian leaders and the public must know that the HSS is the international wing of the RSS, a paramilitary group in India with a well-documented record of promoting anti-Muslim, anti-Christian, and caste-based bigotry. With longstanding ties to India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the RSS was founded by leaders who openly expressed admiration for European fascist figures such as Mussolini and Hitler. Members and groups affiliated with the RSS have been implicated in violence and policies targeting religious minorities, documented and condemned by human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and others.
The RSS is not a cultural organization: it is rooted in Hindutva, a supremacist political ideology seeking to remake India into a Hindu-only state.* Leading human rights groups and UN experts have raised alarms about the escalation of hate speech, mob violence, and discriminatory laws against Muslims and other minorities under the influence of RSS-linked politics. Civil society groups across North America have also called for the banning of the RSS in Canada, including its designation as a terrorist entity.
While Canada supports freedom of belief and assembly, there is a clear difference between cultural pride and political symbolism rooted in violent ideology. It is highly unsettling and concerning to witness the presence of RSS-linked symbols in a public civic event, particularly one celebrating Canada’s values of diversity and inclusion. Such imagery legitimizes a movement known for inciting violence and spreading hate abroad, while silencing and marginalizing those who have fled persecution from the same ideology.
We urge Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, parade organizers and public officials to critically examine how participation takes place at public programs. Canadian platforms must not be used to sanitize or normalize symbols of violence and exclusion. These actions have consequences for the safety, dignity, and rights of South Asian communities in Canada, who already experience threats, discrimination, and transnational repression due to this hate movement. Justice For All Canada encourages supporters of peace and tolerance to share the following resources with Mayor Chow and their local MP:
- Condemning the Saffron Flag on Parliament Hill, Ottawa! https://indiacivilwatch.org/condemning-the-saffron-flag-on-parliament-hill-ottawa/
- Hindu far right pressured a Canadian university into cancelling a critical lecture https://breachmedia.ca/hindu-far-right-pressured-a-canadian-university-into-cancelling-a-critical-lecture/
- In Canada, now is the time to ban the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh network https://opencanada.org/in-canada-now-is-the-time-to-ban-therashtriya-swayamsevak-sangh-network/
- The Nazification of India https://www.justiceforallcanada.org/india_nazification_report_2023.html
- Movement out of India that 'disseminates hate' victimizes religious minority groups, report says https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/rss-hindutva-india-report-1.6764114
- Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO HSS https://thelondonstory.org/wp-content/uploads/hss.pdf
Canada must remain inclusive for all and reject ideologies rooted in exclusion or supremacy. We encourage cities to reflect Charter values of equity and unity that bring our diverse communities together.
*Separate from, and not to be confused with, the religion of Hinduism.