Calgary police have charged one man with hate-motivated mischief after allegedly placing white supremacist stickers in a public locker room in January.
In a news release on Wednesday, police said a man attached stickers promoting white supremacy in public facilities at the MNP Community and Sport Centre at 2225 Macleod Trail S.E. Police said staff at the recreation centre immediately removed the stickers and reported the incident to police.
The Calgary Police Service said one man was identified and charged in relation to the incident after reviewing CCTV footage on Monday, March 18.
Mark Lloyd Pearson, 50, of Calgary, was charged with one count of mischief which has been determined to be hate-motivated.
Police said hate-motivated crimes are recognizable crimes (assault, theft, vandalism, etc.) where the offender was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate against personal characteristics of the victim.
“We have seen similar stickers promoting white supremacy attached to objects in public locations across Calgary,” said acting Sgt. Matt Messenger in a statement.
“Calgary is the third most diverse city in Canada, and these stickers are purposefully placed in locations where the public can easily see them in order to leave people feeling unwelcome and like they don’t belong. This is unacceptable and we will continue to hold those responsible accountable.”