A memorial commemorating the notorious Komagata Maru incident has been vandalized a second time, just ahead of the 100th anniversary of the ship’s arrival in Vancouver.
One of the graffiti messages reads: “Owen is gay.”
The messages have been removed, but the cleaning process has damaged the rust patina on one of the panels – leaving behind a whitewashed effect.
Friday marks 100 years since the ship from India arrived in Vancouver harbour, and only 24 of nearly 400 immigrants were allowed to come ashore.
This latest defacing comes several months after a man was investigated for urinating on the memorial.
Vancouver police said the actions were “reprehensible,” but not considered a crime under the Criminal Code.
A Hate Crimes Unit investigated the incident and said the unnamed man, who has mental health issues, didn’t understand the significance of the memorial when he urinated on it.
An anniversary ceremony is planned at the memorial in Harbour Green Park in Coal Harbour Friday.
Anyone with information about the latest incident is asked to contact Vancouver police.
