50-year-old Surjit Malhi was beaten and his truck was spray-painted with the words “Go Back to ur country.”
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-IL, has denounced an attack in California last week on a Sikh man, reportedly by white supremacists.
The man, Surjit Malhi, was beaten in what is believed to be a hate-motivated attack in Keyes, Calif., and his truck was spray-painted “Go Back to ur country,” accompanied by a white supremacist symbol: a Celtic cross.
“I was appalled to learn of the attack on Mr. Malhi last week in California at the hands of men motivated by hate and committed to a vision of our country that turns its back entirely on of its most important values: inclusion,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. “In this assault on Mr. Malhi, we have seen the worst of our country, but not its true nature. The true American spirit of inclusion and unity has been exemplified by Mr. Malhi’s own commitment to his community through his work on behalf of the homeless and victims of wildfires, just as much of his community has shown that same spirit in rallying in support of him in recent days.”
The men who attacked Malhi told him to “go back to your country,” the Illinois Democrat said, but “This is Mr. Malhi’s country, just as it is any other American’s who lives a life of dignity, inclusion, hard work, and service.”
According to Modesto Bee, the local Stanislaus Sheriff’s Department termed the attack — which happened close to midnight last Tuesday — a “’heinous’ hate crime.”
“This is a random despicable criminal act against a member of the Sikh community,” Sheriff Adam Christianson told the paper.
The Bee reported: “Sheriff Sgt. Tom Letras said the 50-year-old victim was placing signs for local candidates when two white men wearing black hooded sweatshirts ambushed him and beat him to the ground. He was struck multiple times as the assailants screamed, ‘You’re not welcome here!’ and ‘Go back to your country!’ They then spray painted his truck.”
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