‘Get the f**k out of my country’: Youth charged in alleged hate-motivated attack on Sikh man in Woodstock

Woodstock police say they’ve charged a youth after he allegedly harassed and assaulted an “elderly individual” in an apparent hate-motivated incident captured on video near Turtle Island School on Wednesday morning.

Investigators say the incident occurred at around 11:35 a.m. on Knights Lane.

The man was walking on the sidewalk when he was approached by the youth, police said.

“The investigation determined that a youth unprovokedly assaulted an elderly individual who was walking on a sidewalk. The youth targeted the victim based on their ethnicity, while yelling racially charged comments and obscenities,” a police release alleges.

The victim was not injured.

Woodstock police confirm with CityNews that several videos circulating online depict the incident in question.

In the videos, the youth can be heard repeatedly asking the man, “What the f**k are you doing in my country?”

He also repeatedly calls him the N-word and at times forcefully pushes him.

“You ain’t from here, get the f**k out of my country,” he yells. “I will beat the f**k out of you.”

“I will kill you (N-word).”

The youth can also be heard mocking the man’s accent.

“It is a very difficult moment for the victim and as well as the community witnessing something like this,” Woodstock Const. Pritpal Thind, told OMNI News.

Following the incident, the youth jumped a fence on school property before exiting the school area, Thind said.

The suspect, who can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was later arrested and charged with uttering threats causing death or bodily harm, and criminal harassment – threatening conduct.

He was held for a bail hearing.

“Acts of hate have no place in our community,” the release adds. “The Woodstock Police Service is committed to ensuring all members of the community feel safe and protected. We encourage anyone who has experienced or witnessed a hate-motivated incident to report it to police. Woodstock Police Service will pursue and hold those who commit hate crimes accountable.”

The victim, Shingara Singh, tells OMNI News he was on his way to Gurdwara – the Sikh place of worship – when he was approached by the suspect, who threatened him. Despite the traumatic ordeal, Singh says his message is one of peace and living together in harmony.

“It’s our responsibility to follow the rules of the country we are living in. We have been told here that we can’t raise our hands to fight back, we have to be patient unless an extreme situation arises,” he says.  

Woodstock mayor, Jerry Acchione, said he was “disgusted” by what transpired.

“We will not accept any type of hate-motivated actions whatsoever here in the city,” he stressed.

Acchione encouraged anyone who experiences or witnesses hate-motivated behaviour to contact the police.

“Negative actions here in the community will not be tolerated by Woodstock police, and they are going to look at all complaints seriously and with action wherever possible.”

“We do not want this to percolate.”

The World Sikh Organization of Canada also released a statement condemning the incident.

“We are deeply concerned by a video circulating online showing an elderly Sikh man being harassed in Woodstock, Ontario. This is unacceptable,” the group said.

We are deeply concerned by a video circulating online showing an elderly Sikh man being harassed in Woodstock, Ontario. This is unacceptable.

We thank the @Woodstock_PS for their prompt response.

As our recent Anti-Sikh Hate Report shows, these incidents are part of a broader… pic.twitter.com/6mmDMJXdh9

— WSO (@WorldSikhOrg) April 23, 2026

A recent national report by the World Sikh Organization found that more than 80 per cent of respondents believe discrimination and hate against Sikhs has increased over the past five years, with verbal harassment reported as the most common form of hate.

The survey reported data from over 1,600 Sikh Canadians collected between January 1 and March 1, 2025.

A report by the Institute of Strategic Dialogue also reported a similar trend in anti-South Asian hate speech in Canada, raising concerns about the safety of international students and visible minority communities.

With files by Rashmeen Rupal, OMNI News