Canada theatre halts screening of Indian films after arson, shooting attempts

A movie theatre in Canada's Ontario province has halted the screening of Indian films after it was targeted in an arson and shooting attack in the past week.

The theatre was first targeted on September 25 at around 5:20 am while the second attack took place on October 2. According to Halton police, in the first incident, two suspects carrying red gas cans "used a flammable liquid to ignite a fire at the exterior entrance doors of the theatre", according to a report by NDTV.

The second attack took place when a single suspect fired multiple rounds through the entrance doors of the building at 1:50 am. Police describe the suspect as a dark-skinned male with a heavy build, wearing all-black clothing and a black face mask.

According to CBC, it was noted that Film.ca Cinemas said both incidents at its Oakville, Ontario, location occurred overnight while the theatre was closed, hence no one was injured.

It also mentioned that the incidents "may be connected to disagreements" within the South Asian film industry. It added that the decision to halt South Asian film screenings was made in the interest of safety of staff and patrons, ANI reported.

The theatre also shared CCTV footage of the incident on social media, and said, "This is not the first time we’ve faced vandalism and threats tied to the screening of Indian films. While these repeated acts are troubling, they will never deter us from providing a safe and welcoming place for our community to enjoy cinema together."