Vandalism of Komagata Maru memorial investigated as possible hate crime, say police
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
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.