Peel police have ordered a large crowd gathered for a demonstration outside a Hindu temple in Brampton to disperse after officers observed weapons.
In a post on social media Monday evening, police said the demonstration on The Gore Road near Tyler Avenue had been declared an “unlawful assembly” due to the presence of weapons within the crowd, and as a result, the Public Order Unit had been deployed to clear the area.
“All individuals are to disperse immediately or face arrest,” police added.
They did not say what kind of weapons they saw.
Dozens of officers had been in the area throughout the evening, monitoring the demonstration and managing the traffic. They were later seen standing in the middle of the road to keep off the demonstrators.
The demonstration was held a day after a protest involving people waving Khalistan flags, representative of the push for Sikh independence within India, outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir turned violent.
At the time, Indian consular officials were hosting a financial workshop for seniors at the temple.
Video showing the altercation circulated online, and politicians from all levels of government condemned the violence at the place of worship.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also reacted to what happened, calling it a “deliberate attack.”
The incident occurred amid ongoing tensions between Canada and India. Last month, Ottawa accused India’s home minister Amit Shah of targeting Sikh activists, which the Indian government has rejected.
Sunday’s protest in Brampton and two others in Mississauga resulted in three people being arrested and a police officer being suspended for allegedly participating in one demonstration while off duty.
With files from Phil Tsekouras