Sikh man attacked in ‘despicable hate crime’ in California says ‘turban saved’ him
'Go back to your country' was spray painted on the victim's truck.
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Your support makes all the difference.A Sikh man who was recently attacked while putting up political campaign signs in California said his turban "saved him" from further injury.
Surjit Singh Malhi, who has been living in Stanislaus County, California for decades, said two assailants told him “go back to your country” as they attacked him near the intersection of two roads.
Mr Malhi was putting out signs for Jeff Denham, a Republican congressman running for re-election, when he said the assailants approached him and threw sand in his eyes before physically attacking him. He noted the attackers were male and wearing black sweatshirts.
“My turban saved me, maybe if I don’t have a turban… the way they were hitting me… maybe I would die,” he told NBC.
Law enforcement officials are investigating the incident as a hate crime. Mr Malhi’s truck had been spray painted with a white nationalist symbol and “go back to your country” written on it.
“It’s a despicable hate crime,” said Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson to the New York Times. “There is no room for this in Stanislaus County or anywhere else in the United States of America.”
A woman named Casey Joyce Musgrave, who explained that Mr Malhi is the father of her best friend, shared a photo of his truck with the obscenities spray painted on it in a post published to Facebook.
“Just so everyone knows, violent acts of racism are happening in your area,” Ms Musgrave wrote.
Mr Malhi told NBC that he has a supportive community of friends in Stanislaus County. A group of people from a CrossFit gym he belongs to rallied together to Mr Malhi’s home to show their support and to help clean the spray paint off his truck.
“Surjit Malhi is truly loved and today we helped him realise he belongs here in America just like the rest of us,” a post from the gym’s Instagram account read.
Mr Denham has since released a statement condemning the attack. “Inciting violence because of race, religion or political beliefs should never be tolerated,” he said in part.
“I’m American 100 percent, “ Mr Malhi told CBS. He added, “This is my country.”
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