‘You f*** immigrant’: How an Indian couple was harassed, racially abused by Canadian teens

An Indian couple in Peterborough, Canada , faced a terrifying experience when a group of teenagers targeted them with racist abuse in a mall parking lot.

Video from the incident shows three young men in a pickup truck blocking the couple’s car before launching into a tirade of profanities, racial slurs, and obscene taunts.

The man later shared the ordeal on Facebook, saying that he and his partner were still shaken and traumatised by what had happened.

The footage from the incident, which took place on July 29, has now gone viral, sparking outrage online and reigniting concerns about the safety of Indian communities living abroad.

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Here’s what unfolded.

‘You f**** immigrant’

In the parking lot next to Lansdowne Place Mall, an Indian couple found themselves the target of an aggressive verbal assault by a group of teenagers.

The confrontation began when three young men in a large white pickup truck blocked the couple’s car. As the Indian man tried to film their license plate, one of them threatened, “Do you want me to get out of the car and f***ing kill you?”

The situation quickly escalated. In the video, the teenagers are seen making obscene gestures, mocking the couple, and throwing racist insults. The Indian man accused them of hitting and damaging his car, to which the group responded with jeers.

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“Hey big nose, did I touch you? Did I touch you, yes or no? Answer my question, you f***ing immigrant,” one of the teens taunted. At one point, the same Canadian stepped out of the truck and obscenely humped the couple’s car.

(Disclaimer: Videos contain language that may be unsuitable for some. Viewer discretion advised.)

In Peterborough, Ontario, the teenager captured on video humping a car mirror during a hate-motivated harassment incident now faces charges for uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. All three individuals involved have been suspended from their local hockey team, LUG… pic.twitter.com/phEgAhN9eG

— X Case Files (@XCaseFiles) August 11, 2025

The man, visibly shaken, shared the couple’s experience on Facebook, writing, “I and my partner are still traumatised and I am posting so that it does not happen to someone else and we want justice."

Once the video, the man shot began circulating widely online, outrage followed. Police opened an investigation, and social media users quickly joined in, sharing information that helped identify the suspects.

Who are the accused?

Following the investigation, Peterborough police arrested an 18-year-old from Kawartha Lakes, charging him with uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. He has been released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on September 16.

While Canadian law does not have a standalone hate crime charge for such incidents, police confirmed there is “a hate crime element” in the case that will be addressed in court.

“Anybody who has seen the video in this case will understand that that type of behaviour is not acceptable in our community, nor any community,” police chief Stuart Betts said.

Betts thanked those who came forward with tips and urged residents to keep reporting similar incidents.

“Clearly, this is not the standard of acceptable behaviour in our city. We encourage residents to continue to report hate bias incidents or crimes. Reporting these incidents to the police is crucial to ensuring we have the information needed to investigate and pursue charges when appropriate,” he added.

The Peterborough Sports Club has also taken action. The LUG Sports Group’s logo was visible on the hats worn by the accused in the video. In a statement, the organisation said it has suspended the two individuals linked to the group indefinitely, while a third suspect was already suspended over another unrelated matter.

“It is completely unacceptable and goes against everything we stand for as an organisation,” the group said.

Rising attacks on Indians in Ireland

Canada isn’t the only country where Indian communities have come under attack. In Ireland, a wave of racially motivated assaults, many involving gangs of teenagers, has unsettled the Indian diaspora.

In one particularly brutal incident, an Indian man was stripped, beaten, and left with fractured cheekbones on a Dublin street after being falsely accused of inappropriate behaviour around children. In another case, a six-year-old Indian girl was punched by boys who told her, “Dirty Indian, go back.”

These incidents have grown frequent enough that the Indian Embassy in Dublin issued a safety advisory, urging citizens to avoid isolated areas and remain vigilant, especially after dark.

The attacks have raised concerns about growing hostility towards immigrants in the West, with Indian residents increasingly speaking out about their fears.

With input from agencies