Vandalism of Komagata Maru memorial investigated as possible hate crime, say police

Vancouver -

Police in Vancouver are investigating the vandalism of a public memorial as a possible hate crime.

Over the weekend, CTV News Vancouver reported the Komagatu Maru memorial in Coal Harbour was defaced with white paint. 

"Front-line officers and other specially-trained investigators worked throughout the evening yesterday, and will continue to gather evidence in this disturbing crime," Sgt. Steve Addison said in a new release.

"This investigation is a priority, and we are committed to finding out who is responsible and why they did this."

The large metal placards list names of would-be refugees from India who were turned away in Vancouver in 1914. Canadian officials have since apologized for the incident.

Vancouver police said an investigation was launched Sunday after officers saw media reports and photos of the vandalism posted online. Anyone with information should call police at 604-717-0613.

"This monument is an important memorial to the people who traveled here seeking a better life and were wrongfully turned away because of racist policies," Addison said.

"It is disheartening that someone could show such disrespect to this important memorial, and we’d like anyone with information to come forward."

Raj Toor, spokesperson for the Descendants of Komagata Maru Society, said the memorial had been vandalized at least two times before.

In December 2013, a man was caught urinating in front of the storyboard, triggering outrage amongst the community.

At the time, police said the man had mental health issues and therefore, did not face any criminal charges.

In May 2014, just before the centennial anniversary of the Komagata Maru incident, the memorial was defaced with graffiti.

Toor said if people were held accountable in the previous incidents, it may have prevented this latest act of vandalism.

“People see that, ‘Oh, you know, last time nobody (was) charged here.’ And they do it again and again and again,” he said.

He has sent a request to the city, asking that surveillance cameras be installed to prevent vandals from targeting the memorial.

Jindi Singh, who was visiting from Vancouver Island, went to visit the memorial over the weekend. His great-great-uncle was one of the nearly 400 passengers on the ship.

"From a distance, we couldn’t tell if it was part of the memorial," Singh told CTV News.

"Then, as we came closer, we saw paint on the floor, handprints all over the names, we saw some kind of symbolism in the corner there, and we realized somebody had come and defaced it, and this isn’t the first time this has happened."

In a statement from the City of Vancouver Sunday, officials said they were upset by the incident and that a graffiti removal team was on its way. By Monday morning, the memorial was clean.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Tessa Vikander