Canadian gym tells Sikh TikToker to leave over carrying kirpan
A Sikh content creator has accused staff at a GoodLife Fitness gym in Windsor, Canada, of discrimination after he was asked to leave the facility for carrying a kirpan, a ceremonial dagger worn by some Sikhs as part of their faith.The incident, recorded and shared on TikTok by Gurpartap Singh Khalsa, has drawn significant attention online. Khalsa claims he was “racially singled out” because of the religious symbol he was wearing.In the video, a GoodLife Fitness employee tells Khalsa that another gym member had raised concerns after noticing the kirpan. She explains that, citing safety concerns for staff and other members, she was asking him to leave the privately run facility.“What I’m saying is you have a weapon on your person,” the employee says in the footage. “A member has brought it to my attention, and for the safety of me and everybody else in the gym, I’m asking you to leave.Khalsa disputes the reasoning during the exchange, questioning whether staff believed he posed a threat because of his religious article. He also points out that he had been allowed to enter the gym without issue and accuses the employee of unfair treatment.The employee responds that the gym is a private business and maintains the right to deny access.Khalsa later posted the video online, identifying the location as the GoodLife Fitness club on Dougall Avenue and alleging the incident amounted to racial discrimination.The clip has drawn mixed reactions online, with some users supporting the gym’s safety concerns while others argued that the kirpan is a protected article of faith.One user commented, “It’s not racist to ask them to not bring a weapon to the fucking gym, even if they try to rebrand it as a ‘religious symbol’.” The incident comes weeks after a UK court case involving Vickrum Digwa, who was convicted of killing 16-year-old Henry Nowak. During the trial, it was stated that although Digwa possessed a ceremonial kirpan, the fatal attack involved a larger dagger rather than the religious item itself.
