Vancouver police say there will be no charges after an incident where a man allegedly urinated on the Komagata Maru Memorial in Harbour Green Park at Coal Harbour.
The incident happened on December 3.
A suspect was identified, located and interviewed after police obtained photos of the incident that were posted online.
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An investigation was launched and VPD’s Hate Crime Unit was also involved.
But police say the incident does not constitute a criminal offence.
“While the actions of an individual may be offensive and disrespectful, it does not make those actions criminal,” said Constable Brian Montague in a press release. “In this case, investigators determined that the actions were not criminal and confirmed this assessment with Crown Counsel. Simply stated, urinating in a public place is not a criminal offence in Canada, regardless of the context, unless the elements of an offence are present as set out the Criminal Code. Those elements were not present in this case.”
The monument to the Komagata Maru commemorates the incident in 1914, where a Japanese steamship, named the Komagata Maru, arrived in Vancouver carrying 376 passengers. Twenty were allowed into Canada, but 356 others were not allowed and the ship had to return to India.
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