Victoria police are investigating after someone vandalized a controversial mural in the city’s Bastion Square.
A portion of the mural, titled “More Justice More Peace”, was spray painted over by someone wearing a motorcycle helmet around 10 a.m. Saturday, according to a police media release.
The mural has been controversial since it was first painted, in the context of a resurgent civil rights and anti-racism movement.
In its initial version, the letter “S” in the mural contained the acronym “ACAB,” which stands for “all cops are bastards” or “all cops are bad.”
At the time, Victoria police Chief Del Manak criticized the work as “deeply offensive.”
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The mural is the work of 17 artists and is meant to raise awareness of injustices suffered by Black and Indigenous people and others, and was created with the help of a City of Victoria art grant.
Earlier this week, the artist collective who created the mural came to an agreement with the City of Victoria to paint over the letter S.
The artists replaced the letter with a black oval bearing the image of a feather and the message “This letter has been censored by the City of Victoria, influenced by the Victoria Police Department. In doing so, Victoria is contributing to the silencing of Black and Indigenous voices and experiences across this land.”
In a statement Friday, Manak criticized the modification “as offensive, if not more so, than the original anti-police rhetoric.”
Just one day later, that modified letter was the target of a vandal.
Police say the suspect arrived on a white and red motorcycle, sprayed over the new message, then left.
Police are looking for an adult-aged man who is about five feet eight inches tall with a medium build.
He was wearing a multi-coloured motorcycle helmet, a blue vest, a green sweater and dark cargo pants.
Anyone who saw the incident or recognizes the man is asked to contact police.
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