Police in Winnipeg say they have arrested and charged a 34-year-old man in connection with a spree of hate-related vandalism targeting a synagogue, a mosque, and more than a dozen other locations.
The Winnipeg Police Service said at a news conference Friday that investigators determined the vandalism occurred in the early morning hours of Jan. 2, when a man spray-painted hate-related graffiti on residential properties, including garages, houses and vehicles in the Crescentwood area.
“Some of these locations were spray painted with red or white Swastikas, while others were tagged with messages or words that were not indicative of hate,” said Insp. Jennifer McKinnon with the Winnipeg Police Service major crimes unit. “Actions like this will be confronted and answered with justice,” McKinnon said.
In addition to the residential property damage, hate-related symbols were spray-painted on the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Community Centre and Masjid, and the entrance to Munson Park.
According to Congregation Shaarey Zedek, surveillance video captured an individual spray-painting swastikas at the entrance of its building early Friday morning.
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“We call on all Winnipeggers to stand up against hate,” said Senior Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose in a post by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs last week. “What’s at stake is not just the safety of one community, but the future of our Canadian way of life.”
Images posted by the CIJA showed swastikas painted on four window panes and on a wall.
The CIJA said in its post that it was “deeply disturbed” by the incident at the synagogue, which has been in Winnipeg for nearly 140 years.
During Friday’s news conference, McKinnon said she wanted to acknowledge the pain and fear this incident has caused.
“When Swastikas were painted on the walls of a synagogue, a message of hate was sent to a faith community, to families, and to an entire city,” she said.
The investigation was led by the Major Crimes Division’s hate crimes section. Police say community members played a key role by promptly reporting the incidents and providing video surveillance footage, which helped investigators quickly identify a suspect.
Police arrested the man on Jan. 8.
He was charged with 14 counts of mischief under $5,000, obstructing in the enjoyment of property. He was released on an undertaking.
McKinnon said police are not ruling out further charges.
Police say they are still investigating vandalism at Habibiz Café, a Palestinian-owned Middle Eastern restaurant, where windows were smashed and a threatening message left behind. They say they do not believe the incidents are linked.
— with files from Sean Previl, Global News
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