Man given 8 months in jail for racist graffiti on Vancouver Chinese Cultural Centre

A man who defaced Vancouver’s Chinese Cultural Centre with racist graffiti has been sentenced to 240 days in jail.

Yves Castonguay, 47, pleaded guilty to defacing four windows on the building with anti-Asian graffiti on April 2, 2020.

2:13 Vancouver Chinese Cultural Centre attacked with racist vandalism

At the time, police described the messages, which included “drive them out of Canada,” as “disturbing, racist remarks towards the Asian community.”

Police issued a warrant for Castonguay in April 2021 after he failed to show up for court on charges of public incitement of hatred and mischief to property.

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Castonguay’s sentence means he will spend an additional 79 days in jail on top of 161 days he already spent in custody. He will also face three years of probation.

The vandalism came early in the COVID-19 pandemic, as the region was experiencing a surge in anti-Asian crimes.

Vancouver police later reported that in 2020, anti-Asian hate crimes had jumped 717 per cent year over year.