Sikh Woman Raped in UK, Told to ‘Go Back’; ICE Detains Grandma in US

On 9 Sep, a Sikh woman (name witheld) in her 20s was allegedly raped by two men in broad daylight at a park on Tame Road, in Oldbury, UK. During the assault, she was told to 'go back to your country'. Police said they were treating the assault as a racially aggravated hate crime and have launched a manhunt for the suspects. Both attackers are white—one is heavy-built with a shaven head and was wearing a dark sweatshirt and gloves; the other was seen in a grey top with a silver zip. Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Preet Kaur Gill condemned the attack, calling it 'an act of extreme violence and racism.' She said, 'She (the sufferer) does belong here. Racism and misogyny have no place in Oldbury or anywhere in Britain.' Gurinder Singh Josan, Labour MP for Smethwick said, ‘This is a truly horrific attack and my thoughts are with the victim.’ Dabinderjit Singh, the lead executive for political engagement at the Sikh Federation (UK), said the attack took place in ‘broad daylight on a busy road.’ A second sexual assault was also reported later the same day, in Kenrick Park, West Bromwich. Meanwhile, on 13 Sep, more than 110K far right protested against immigration in London. 26 police officers were wounded as they tried to keep the protestors away from a group of 5K rival demonstrators gathered at White Hall in central London. Concurrently, in the US, on 8 Sep, Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old Panjabi grandmother who has lived in California’s East Bay for more than three decades was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE asked Harjit to report to their office in San Francisco to submit paperwork. However, she was held and transferred to the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield. Harjit migrated from India to the US in 1992 as a single mother of two sons. She has been under ICE supervision since her asylum claim was denied in 2012. On 19 Sep, an estimated 200 people gathered at the El Sobrante Sikh Gurdwara to demand her release (earlier coverage).