A massive turnout at a pro-Khalistan rally in Canada saw over 500 cars adorned with the yellow flags proposed for the separatist movement this weekend, according to numerous videos of the event shared by Punjabi members or supporters affiliated with the campaign.

A self-described “Canada First” nationalist named Bruce Barrett posted a clip of the anti-India event on X. Taking to the social media platform on November 9, he wrote, “Indian Invaders Held A Referendum Car Rally in Montreal Today. This does not belong in Canada.” Like many others he demanded the Khalistani movement be declared a terrorist organisation so that they can be “shipped” back.

‘Khalistan Zindabaad’ slogans heard at Montreal car rally

The video in question spotted rows of cars parked at a Montreal location, while those participating in the demonstration were huddled up on one side. Loud “Khalistan Zindabaad” chants were heard therein. The protest is said to have been held ahead of the upcoming installment of the “Khalistan referendum,” set to be held in Ottawa on November 23.

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Another SNS account on Instagram called “@politics_punjab2” flooded its stories section with what appear to have been live-captured videos of the protest at the time. “Khalistan Referendum Car Rally in Montreal saw a massive turnout and resounding success, with over 500 cars joining the event,” they captioned a video compiling scenes of the day.

The Instagram account also added screenshots of post shared on X by a user named Narinder Singh Surrey (@Narinde88279916), relaying the word about anti-India protests being held in front of Khalsa Diwan Society (KDS) Gurudwara in Abbotsford. Meanwhile, the Punjabi user’s SNS profile on the Elon Musk-led platform has been “withheld in India in response to a legal demand.”

In numerous other posts, Sikhs affiliated with the pro-Khalistan movement described “allowing the Indian Consulate to operate in the mandirs of gurdwaras… an act of treason.” They went as far as branding the Indian Embassy as a “terror house.”

Elsewhere, a Sikh user on X urged those who align themselves with the pro-Khalistan movement to “stand united” and make their “voice count” by coming to Ottawa and be a “part of a historic Referendum to Liberate Punjab from Indian occupation.”

Sikhs for Justice outfit fans the fire against India

Although not visible in India, the thread also highlighted a post shared by SFJ General Counsel, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s social media post. In it, the New York-based pro-Khalistani activist announced the convoy was departing from Montreal and and beginning a “24:7 Khalistan action” led by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)–a group seeking secession of Punjab from India as Khalistan–from November 11 to 12 in its attempts “to challenge” India’s Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar.

The post surfaced online after Bloomberg posted a documentary titled “Inside the Deaths That Rocked India’s Relations With the West” on YouTube and a feature article along the same lines. Both address the “diplomatic crisis” birthed between India, the United States and Canada in light of two alleged murder plots involving Sikh activists, including the Hardeep Singh Nijjar assassination and another targeting his associate Pannun.

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Indians and other global netizens’ counter to pro-Khalistan rallies

A self-proclaimed ‘Concerned Canadian’ questioned Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “vision” for the country following the emergence. He, too, urged that the Khalistani movement be declared a “terrorist organisation,” adding, “We shouldn’t allow their home country issues to be imported into Canada!”

While some others argued that such foreign nationals shouldn’t be granted visas to enter Canada, several Indians or Indian-origin people countered the claims, saying that the Khalistani demonstrators were not Indians at all.

Abhishek Dwivedi, a lawyer followed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X, wrote, “Your country gave them political asylum and citizenship. It’s your mess now. We don’t want them back. India should actively identify those participating in these protests and cancel their OCI cards and seize their properties.”

Smita Prakash, editor at Asian News International (ANI), also questioned Barrett’s original post about “shipping” them back to their country. “Ship them back to which country? There is NO country called ‘Khalistan’. This turd pile was created in Canada and your governments did nothing to stop it, now you get to keep them for ever. Best of luck,” she wrote online.

Yet another Indian journalist added, “Khalistan is Canada’s own creation. Deal with the snakes in your backyard. They are Canadian terrorists. Not Indian.”

Patrick Brauckmann, an India and Sanatan Dharma-loving author of Canadian-origin, further contended, “You’d never see a Khalistani event like this in India. The Modi govt has asked Canada repeatedly to send back more than 2 dozen of these terrorists, Canada has refused. They’re here to stay, they’re Citizens thanks to Trudeau.”