The principal of Queen’s University is calling recently discovered graffiti on campus a hate crime.
Spray-painted anti-Semitic slogans were discovered at various locations across campus Friday morning.
Queen’s University Principal Daniel Woolf calls it the work of a “despicable coward”.
“This is the most despicable kind of graffiti,” said Woolf. “In my book, when you write slogans like that on a wall, that is a hate crime.”
Some of the messages are difficult to understand but appear to be anti-Semitic and targeting minority groups.
One reads, ‘The Goyim Know,’ spray painted in black on a sidewalk off of Arch Street. The ‘O’ in know is replaced with the Star of David. Another reads, ‘USS Liberty’ and ‘13%=50?’
“Whoever it was that did this, I would say to them, you may have done some research to come up with those elusive slogans. But you are a despicable coward,” Woolf said.
“Currently, Kingston police is investigating five acts of vandalism, in and around Queen’s campus in the form of graffiti”, said Const. Ash Gutheinz.
According to Queen’s University, the vandalism occurred sometime overnight Thursday into Friday morning.
Campus security is now working with Kingston police and is reviewing campus security camera footage from buildings in several areas.
If a perpetrator is arrested, they could be charged with a hate crime.
“I would be surprised and shocked if this was the work of a Queen’s student,” said Woolf.
“And if that were the case and the culprit identified, apart from any criminal action that would be taken, they would be placed into our non-academic misconduct system.”
Campus officials were in the process of removing the graffiti at five different locations Friday afternoon after police photographed the areas.
“Kingston police is definitely imploring the citizens of Kingston to come forward with any information they have in regards to this act of vandalism,” said Gutheinz.
Woolf says, in his 10-year tenure, this is the first act of vandalism of this kind at the university and that support is available for any student who may be upset by the attack.