A former member of Parliament says “racism and hate” are to blame for sparking an online debate about a viral image of a man appearing to defecate at a gas station Tim Hortons parking lot in Brampton, Ont.

Raj Grewal, who was a Liberal MP for Brampton East from 2015 to 2019, said the image was photoshopped.

The image, which has been viewed eight million times since Monday night, shows a man wearing a bright orange turban bending down beside a black car, with his shorts bunched up around his knees. He appears to be holding a cup in his right hand.