A video from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, sparked widespread outrage and heated discussion online after showing a snow-covered neighborhood littered with piles of trash bags. Although the video does not specify who is responsible, many people on social media were quick to point the finger at Indian international students, fueling a wave of criticism directed at migrants, particularly those from India.
A 25-second video, originally uploaded to TikTok and then shared to X (formerly Twitter), shows a man expressing dismay at the state of his once-lovely neighborhood. As the camera pans over the trash bag-strewn area, the man remarks, “This is the neighborhood I grew up in.” It was a beautiful neighborhood. It was a very good place to live. He describes the spectacle as “simply disgusting”.
The video features on-screen text accusing “international students” of being responsible for illegal dumping of garbage in the area.
The post sparked a wave of reactions, many of which directly targeted Indian migrants.
One user commented: “You import Indians, you become India. Good luck, Canada. Another wrote: “This is normal for Indians. They are used to living in shit. A third user added: “It’s their culture to be dirty.” »
Some users compared the situation to conditions in India, with one remarking: “Surprised? Take a look at Delhi. Others expressed frustration with the changes in their neighborhoods. “Same everywhere. My neighbors sold their house; now 10 students live there, and it’s a disaster,” one commenter shared. Another lamented: “What offered such beautiful landscapes has been completely destroyed. »
Amid the flood of vitriol, a handful of users countered the anti-India rhetoric. One user remarked: “I’ve seen white people do this on indigenous people’s lands for as long as I’ve been alive. You are nothing but racists. Another pointed out potential flaws in city services, suggesting: “It seems the city is lagging behind in its pickup services?
This incident highlights a growing trend of blaming migrants, particularly Indians, for various problems in Canada. Earlier, a Canadian citizen had alleged that Indian women were traveling to Canada to give birth to their children and obtain citizenship. Sharing his personal experience, he said that while his niece was in a hospital maternity ward, a nurse mentioned that it was “full of foreign Indian women” who had come to Canada just to give birth.
The man further alleged that these women returned to India with their Canadian-born children, who later used their citizenship to emigrate and sponsor their families. He wrote on Sure, I bet they’ll get a bill for the delivery because they don’t have access to health care in Canada, but how are they going to collect it? You see, they return to India with their baby after using our healthcare system.
