Surrey mayor blamed social media platforms for not censuring photos and videos of the attack on Kapil Sharma's cafe.
Surrey mayor Brenda Locke was slammed after she issued a message following the recent firing at Indian celebrity Kapil Sharma's recently opened cafe in her area, for which Harjit Singh Laddi, an operative of the banned Babbar Khalsa International, claimed responsibility.
The message cracked down on social media platforms for circulating the video of the incident. "A recent shooting at a local business was brazenly filmed and posted online by an individual claiming responsibility. This act was meant not only to harm its direct victim but to terrorize our whole community," the mayor said. "It is intolerable that legitimate news content is blocked on some social media platforms while videos glorifying violent crime circulate freely.""That’s why I am calling on Meta, X, TikTok, and other social platforms to stop allowing violent criminals to weaponize your networks against the people of Surrey."
"I felt the community's fear first-hand last night while visiting Kap’s Cafe and nearby businesses and speaking with employees and customers who now worry about their safety.""We will not let criminals dictate how we live or work. I am confident that, together, we will keep Surrey safe, resilient, and unafraid," the message said.
The post on social media came under intense criticism as users told her to tackle the gangster issue and not blame X for failing to maintain law and order. "Weird take!! Focus on the crime, not the videos. The damage is done," one wrote. "Mirror, mirror on the wall. Isn't she the dumbest of em all? WTF is your thought process that makes you not just think on these lines, but actually post it online? The outrage should be about the terrorist act on your watch, but you are worried that people got to know about it," another wrote. "So... No words against Khalistani terrorists, but you're blaming social media for exposing it? No doubt, Surrey will be the epicenter of terrorism in Canada," a third user wrote.