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The desecration of the Indian national flag during the Republic Day celebrations in Canada has sent shockwaves across the country.
Canadian lawmakers like Conservative Senator Con Di Nino are among those "disturbed greatly" by the incident. Around 15 Sikh protesters placed the Indian flag on the ground at the entrance of the Pearson Convention Centre in Brampton on February 1, making it impossible for automobiles and pedestrians to enter the convention centre for the celebrations.
Di Nino said he reached a bit early and a number of guests were already present. 'In fact, the hall was pretty full when I reached there. By then the protest had not started and so I was not placed in a situation to walk over or drive over the Indian flag,' he told rediff.com over telephone.
Later, organizers informed him that protestors had placed the Indian flag at the entrance.
'When I saw the Indian flag, I tried to pick it up but some protesters confronted me, basically challenged me, and I didn't want to be responsible for creating an incident,' Di Nino explained.
'I believe that is what protesters were looking for (creating an incident). So, I stepped back. Many Indo-Canadian friends of mine who were there also stepped back."
By their actions, protesters were forcing the guests to drive over the flag, walk over the flag, trample the Indian national flag, he said.
'Canada is a democratic country and people should be allowed to protest as long as it is peaceful and it does not insult a national symbol of a friendly country, any country,' Di Nino suggested.
Even though he felt that the police could have done a little more, Di Nino said, 'I have some sympathy for the police. Had the police taken some counter-action against the small group of protesters, who were shouting slogans for Khalistan, it would have resulted in some ugly incident which is what those people very much wanted to happen.'
"All said, the desecration of the Indian flag to me was an insult which I found totally offensive, totally unacceptable any where and certainly in our country Canada," Di Nino said emphatically. "I was disturbed by their action."
At the same time, Di Nino praised the Indo-Canadian community for 'denying the small group of radicals what they came for, which is to create an ugly incident, to create a confrontation.
'They would have then won the battle, as then their protest would have been taken note of by the mainstream media. That didn't happen,' he added.