SEATTLE — Lawmakers have condemned a video of a protest that has gone viral, showing two people interrupting a Diwali celebration at Seattle Center.
Video of the disruption appears to have been posted on X.com by the protesters themselves. It shows two men walking into the Seattle Center Armory on Saturday, carrying signs with racial slurs and claims that Hindus are replacing Christians.
“There is definitely anxiety in the community about that. People you know feel unsafe to some extent,” said Dr. Jigish Patel, who was among those gathered at a Redmond temple on Sunday to observe Diwali, which celebrates the triumph of light over darkness.
Patel wondered why protestors would target members of the Hindu faith.
“Hinduism profoundly believes in non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi is a great example of that. He achieved independence for India through non- violence, and so targeting Hindu faith is definitely something that worries the community a lot,” he said.
Police were at the Redmond temple as a precaution - that’s been the case for other large gatherings of the Indian American community in recent years – and Patel’s wife, Dr. Payal Patel, didn’t know of anyone who was skipping the event.
“We can’t lose the holiday spirit, right? Because that’s what really brings us together and keeps us strong,” she said.
She suggested there’s strength in the wider community, when people accept their differences, focus on what they have in common and support each other.
“Absolutely, and I think that’s when we start focusing on that; then I think that even as a nation we can grow so much better,” she said.
Washington State Senator Manka Dhingra, who is Indian American, told KIRO 7 she saw evidence of that when people attending Seattle’s Diwali celebration chased the protestors out.
“And to me, the reaction of everyone there who came together to put a stop to that, that is basically Diwali in action, light winning over darkness,” Dhingra said.