As FBI investigates, Norwich 'hate message' incident prompts U.S. justice department visit

NORWICH — Members of various city faith groups, along with Sikh representatives from across the state, discussed their concerns over a recent “hate messaging” incident on Friday with a federal law enforcement official.

Members of the Norwich Interfaith Association and others met with Darryck Dean, senior conciliation specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice’s community relations service out of Boston, over an informal lunch at the Royal Punjabi restaurant in Norwich.

“We wanted to make federal authorities aware of the frequency of the attacks we’re seeing on our civil liberties at a time when events celebrating those things are flourishing in Norwich,” said Swaranjit Singh Khalsa, the city’s first Sikh city councilor.

The luncheon came weeks after reports surfaced of a box truck driving through Norwich with digital messaging displays, including one urging Mayor Peter Nystrom to “stop promoting Pakistan sponsored Khalistan terrorists.” The message included an image of a turbaned man with an assault weapon and bands of ammo.

The Khalistan movement references the Sikhs' continuing efforts to create a sovereign homeland in the Punjab region.

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Khalsa said the lunch discussion provided Dean with first-hand accounts of the Norwich-based incident and the subsequent community reaction.

“He said he was aware of other, similar incidents, such as those targeting LGBTQ people, happening across the country,” he said. “He gave us all his ears and thanked us for making him aware of what's going on here. He said the most important thing in these cases, besides reporting the hate, is the joint messaging put out by the community saying it’s unacceptable.”

Dean’s office bills itself as the “only federal agency dedicated to working with community groups to resolve community conflicts and prevent and respond to alleged hate crimes arising from differences of race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.”

Dean declined to comment on any steps his office might take moving forward.

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Khalsa said it’s no coincidence the truck incident occurred in November, the same month the state recognizes Sikh Genocide Remembrance Day, a commemoration of the 1984 massacre of thousands of Sikhs at the Golden Temple in Punjab by the Indian army.

“We’ve seen this kind of opposition and disinformation in the past that’s coincided with celebrations like the Sikh Art Gallery opening in April and around some the 17 flag raisings the city has hosted for various community groups,” Khalsa said.

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Khalsa said he’s been in frequent contact with the FBI representatives previously informed about the truck incident.

“They told me to wait a little bit as they do their due diligence,” he said. “I think that’s a wise thing as it shows we’re not being ignored and they will be investigating this.”

News of the truck incident prompted members of the Norwich Area Interfaith Association to quickly fire off a letter denouncing the “hate messaging” and reiterating their support for the Sikh community.

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On Friday, several representatives of the interfaith group doubled down on their Dec. 2 letter, which stated “Hate was no home in our city of Norwich.”

Cynthia Jean-Mary, a member of the Bahá’í faith and interfaith council, said as a Black woman she understands the dangers of sitting idly by while such “acts of terrorism” occur. She said the relative sophistication shown by those involved in the truck incident is troubling.

“There were plans to this, four or five steps that needed to be taken – it wasn’t just a phone call trying to intimidate," she said. “Someone planned this and someone paid for it. It was strategic. And what really disturbs me is this wasn’t someone in our community. So why would an outsider come in and go through all those leaps and hoops to do this in little, old Norwich?”

Eric Heinrich, pastor at Norwich’s St. Mark Lutheran Church, said he sent a message to an interfaith group colleague the day after he saw the “outrageous and disturbing news” about the truck billboard.

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“And we started talking right away on how we’d respond to this unacceptable incident,” he said.  “As people of faith, we celebrate the diversity all around us and are all united in our belief in God.”

Several interfaith members speculated that whatever plan the people behind the mobile messaging campaign had, the stunt seems to have solidified, rather than fractured, community support for local Sikhs. Khalsa said the Sikhs have no formal foreign policies or consulates and rely on state and federal leaders to speak on their behalf.

“I think (the truck) was there to intimidate those voices,” he said.

Khalsa said he’s convinced any individual, no matter their faith or creed, can learn tolerance.

“But before people can find themselves comfortable with inclusion, education is needed,” he said. “We sometimes can expect too much from people and want them to accept something they know nothing about. That’s why we need civic engagement. And there’s been a lot of work done in the city promoting inclusion.”

John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at (860) 857-6965.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: U.S. justice department official meets with Norwich Sikhs, faith group