Police in Stratford, Ont., are investigating after hate graffiti targeting the LGBTQ2+ community was found on the rear of a downtown takeout restaurant early Tuesday morning.
In a statement, police said they responded to Sirkel Foods, located at 40 Wellington St., around 6 a.m. and found homophobic hate speech spray-painted on the back of the business facing the Erie Street parking lot.
It’s believed the graffiti was left sometime overnight, police said.
Photos posted online by the owners of Sirkel Foods show black spray paint scrawled on a rainbow-coloured door and dumpster, and a window painted with the words “F— gay.” The downtown business is owned and operated by Kelly Ballantyne and her wife Mel Lang, according to the Stratford Beacon Herald.
“We come to work everyday to serve our community and in return hatred. I don’t even know where to start. Mel called me crying when she saw this. This is our home. We are here more than our own house most days,” a social media post early Tuesday reads.
“Our blood, sweat and tears fill the walls of Sirkel. Our food is made with LOVE. Our staff is mostly Moms. We all work so hard and then we are brought back to the cruel world of hate. THIS IS NOT OK! Gay people matter! LGBTQ+ people are just like you and me. We must teach our youth to love not hate.”
The incident spurred an outpouring of support from the community, including Stratford Festival, who raised the Pride Flag outside of Festival Theatre on Tuesday.
“I need to take a moment to thank everyone for their outpouring of kindness. It’s been very overwhelming!” read a post Wednesday on Sirkel Foods’ Facebook and Instagram.
“The love our community has for not only Sirkel but for my family and staff is truly amazing… I needed to take last night and sit with my thoughts on the whole situation. Thanks again to everyone for being so wonderful! We really appreciate it!”
It’s not the first time the Stratford business has been targeted in the last several months. In September, someone threw eggs at the front of the business in the early morning hours of Sept. 16.
It’s not clear if the two incidents are linked, and no suspects have been identified in either case, police said.
“The Stratford Police Service would like to assure the public that both investigations are open, and we encourage anyone with information to please come forward,” a police release stated.
“It needs to be emphasized that all hate motivated criminal offences reported to the Stratford Police are taken seriously, and investigated thoroughly.”
Neighbours are being asked to review video surveillance systems to see if the incident may have been captured on camera.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 519-271-4141 or Crime Stoppers.