The Guelph police are investigating two recent incidents in which hate-related graffiti has been spray-painted on buildings. It is possible the incidents are related.
On Saturday afternoon, police were called to Riverside Park after a park user discovered graffiti on a building under construction. Officers located antisemitic graffiti, including a swastika, written in red spray paint. The graffiti was photographed and then quickly removed by City of Guelph officials.
On Monday morning, police were called to a church building on Speedvale Avenue East. Officials with the church had arrived to find graffiti, once again written in red spray paint, on a rear emergency exit. The graffiti was anti-Black in nature and included a racist epithet.
It was photographed by police and then removed by church officials.
The Guelph Police Service will not tolerate acts of hate-motivated crime and will fully investigate any such occurrences. If anyone has information about these incidents they are asked to call hate crimes coordinator Detective Constable Jagdeep Atwal at 519-824-1212, ext. 7436, email him at [email protected], leave an anonymous message for Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or leave an anonymous tip online at www.csgw.tips.
