Hateful graffiti scrawled on Surrey, B.C., campaign sign

Vancouver -

Surrey Centre incumbent Randeep Sarai received a troubling message from a supporter Wednesday morning which included a photo of one of his campaign signs with swastikas scrawled across it on both sides.

The B.C. candidate shared a picture of the defaced sign on Twitter and encouraged people to move forward with kindness and constructive discussion.

"A symbol like the swastika symbolizes the hate and murder of six million Jews, and it's a symbol of right-wing extremism globally around the world,” Sarai said in an interview with CTV News. “I think it has no place in our society."

Sarai’s NDP opponent Sonia Andhi weighed in as well.

“There is no place for racism in our communities, and it saddens me to see something so hateful. We must do better,” she said in a tweet of her own.

Ezra Shanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, said in these polarized times symbols like the swastika and hate speech are all too common, and troubling.

"Not just the cheapening of the Holocaust through the usage of these symbols in this way,” he said. “But at the same time the targeting of people who are really putting themselves forward to try to represent their ridings."

This latest incident hateful graffiti comes just one day after more than 10 election signs belonging to a pair of Liberal candidates in southern Ontario were similarly defaced with swastikas and the word "Nazi."

“It was shocking there and unacceptable there,” said Shanken. “It’s shocking here and unacceptable here.”

Sarai replaced his supporter's damaged sign and said he hopes as the campaign moves forward, candidates can focus on the issues that matter to the voters in Surrey Centre. 

I am disappointed to see that one of my signs was defaced, yesterday in #SurreyCentre. This behaviour is intolerable. I deplore this sort of anti-Semitic behaviour, I know my neighbours will join me in calling it out.
Let’s move forward with kindness and constructive discussion. pic.twitter.com/z1o9i5rwHa

— Randeep S. Sarai (@randeepssarai) August 25, 2021