The Hindu community and Mayor Patrick Brown are speaking out after a temple in Brampton was vandalized.

In a statement, the Hindu Federation said it is responding with “shock and disgust” after the Guari Shankar Mandir temple was defaced on Jan. 30.

The organization said the temple, located at the intersection of Queen Street West and Chinguacousy Road, was desecrated with anti-India and anti-Hindu graffiti.

The Federation said it is the third such incident in the GTA in the past six months, noting temples in Richmond Hill and Etobicoke were also defaced.

The organization said that it is been in touch with Peel police and has reached out to politicians at all levels of government demanding “swift and decisive action to bring back peace and stability to religious communities in the GTA.”

“If I places of worship do not have security, then it is very difficult to find peace and fulfillment,” Hindu Federation President Pandit Roopnath Sharma said in a statement. “Worshippers must not be burdened with the worry at the house of God can be desecrated at any time.”

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown spoke out against the incident, calling it a “hateful act of vandalism” which has “no place in our city or country.”

“I have raised my concerns over this hate crime with @ChiefNish and @PeelPolice,” Brown wrote. “Everyone deserves to feel safe in their place worship.”

In a tweet, the consulate general of India also condemned the incident.

“The hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt sentiments of Indian community in Canada. We have raised our concerns on the matter with Canadian authorities,” the consulate said in a tweet.