Police are investigating after a “hateful message” was found spray painted on a Hindu temple in Mississauga, Ont.
Peel Regional Police said on Tuesday at around 10:30 a.m., officers received a report that the wall of a local Mandir had been vandalized.
Police said an investigation has been opened, adding that officers are treating the matter as a hate-motivated crime.
“We want to assure Peel’s Hindu community, and residents of all backgrounds and faiths, that Peel Regional Police has no tolerance for hate and condemns this act in the strongest possible terms,” Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said in a statement.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 905-453-2121 ext. 1233.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said she was “angered by the hateful and divisive graffiti” defacing the Ram Mandir.
“These blatant attacks are not reflective of our City and region’s diversity and will not be tolerated,” Crombie wrote in a tweet. “Peel Police are investigating and working with the community to ensure their safety.”
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said he was “saddened” to hear of the “hate motivated vandalism” at the Mandir.
“Unknown suspects spray painted the walls on the back of the temple,” he wrote in a tweet. “This type of hate has no place in Peel Region.”