An anti-hate rally was held at the damaged Komagata Maru memorial in downtown Vancouver, Saturday.
The rally was organized by the West Coast Coalition Against Racism (WCCAR) as a response to the vandalism of the memorial.
“This is a shocking incident of hate,” said Harinder Mahil, WCCAR’s president.
“Whoever has done it is sending a message that people depicted in the memorial photographs have no right to be in Canada and that there should not be a memorial like this. We are here to condemn the vandalism that took place at the site.”
Vancouver police said glass at the Komagata Maru memorial in Coal Harbour was smashed, back on Oct. 5. The investigation began on Oct. 4 after officers learned on social media of the vandalism.
“We don’t just want to find the person who did this, but also understand why this cherished memorial was targeted,” said Const. Jason Doucette, a VPD officer.
“Detectives from a number of VPD specialized units are working together to collect evidence and identify the suspect(s) in this troubling incident.”
It’s the second time the memorial has been deliberately damaged.
A man named Yuniar Kurniawan was charged with mischief after paint was used to deface the memorial, in August 2021. The memorial was splattered with white paint and hand prints.
The Komagata Maru memorial was built to commemorate the 1914 incident when 376 passengers from India were escorted out of Vancouver’s Coal Harbour aboard the steamship Komagata Maru.
For many Canadians, the name Komagata Maru means little. But what happened on that crowded ship in 1914 has become, for many scholars, emblematic of an entire period of Canadian history characterized by xenophobia, racism and exclusionary immigration policies.
The 376 passengers from India were denied entry to the country and sent back across the Pacific Ocean.
You can read more about the Komagata Maru incident on the Global News website.
The West Coast Coalition Against Racism describes itself as a re-birth of the BC Organization to Fight Racism, which was founded in 1980 to oppose racism and hate in B.C.