In Toronto’s Little Bangladesh, unrest abroad sparks worry, hope

Bangladesh cleared the way for fresh elections Tuesday that will replace Sheikh Hasina as prime minister. Hasina led the government as hundreds were killed while students staged mass protests to call for an end to a quota system for government jobs.

Rafee Syed says he knows people who were surrounded by bullets, and the internet shutdown left him fearing the worst in recent days.

The silence in my family group chat was deafening, he said. We felt really helpless here at times.

Syed owns Ghoroaa Restaurant on Danforth Avenue near Victoria Park — an area in East York known as Little Bangladesh. He says there was a sense of anxiety within the entire neighbourhood.

There was also a lot of frustration and anger over what was going on, he said.

Violent clashes between student protesters, security officials and pro-government student activists have gripped Bangladesh over the last few weeks.

Community organizes protests in Toronto

Protesters demanded their government abolish a quota system that reserves up to 30 per cent of government jobs for families of those who fought for Bangladesh’s freedom in the country’s 1971 war with Pakistan. Protesters say the quota was  discriminatory and benefits supporters of Hasina’s Awami League party, which led the independence movement.

Back in July, Bangladesh’s top court scaled back the controversial quota system (new window) for government job applicants, a partial victory for student protesters.

I am proud of what the students did, Syed said.

If you told me 10 days ago this is how it would end, I would be completely surprised.

Forhad Ahmed helped organize protests in Toronto over the last couple of weeks, echoing the demands of demonstrators in Bangladesh. He said thousands attended.

When people saw that innocent people were being murdered in the street, they said this is something we should be vocal about, he said. As a former University of Windsor student, he was able to help mobilize students, he added.

People of all ages and backgrounds were present.

Sakib Sarkar, owner of Sarkar Foods in Little Bangladesh, says he’s spent recent weeks worried about his cousins, but now there is a sense of excitement.

People are coming into our store and saying, ‘Bangladesh is free now,’ he said.

I think there’s a better future ahead, but also a lot more change that could still happen.

A sense of hope for the future

The country is still reckoning with the aftermath of weeks of unrest, which produced some of the worst bloodshed since the 1971 war of independence. Many fear that Hasina’s departure could lead to even more instability in the densely populated South Asian nation, which is already dealing with crises from high unemployment to corruption to the effects of climate change.

WATCH | Bangladeshis in Toronto react to PM’s resignation after protests:

Violence just before and after Hasina’s resignation left at least 109 people dead, including 14 police officers, and hundreds of others injured, according to media reports, which could not be independently confirmed.

But Syed says despite lingering uncertainty, he’s feeling optimistic about the country’s future.

It’s going to take some time. This is step one of a bigger battle, he said, adding he has a sense of pride and high hopes for the next generation.

I feel like they can do it. It feels like a new Bangladesh already.