Candidates targeted by racist vandalism on campaign signs

Racism is once again on the frontline of the election following racist attacks on campaign signs in Brampton.

Two NDP candidates have recently had their posters vandalized with hateful messages.

Saranjit Singh, who is running in Brampton East, told CityNews one of his supporters discovered the n-word spray painted on his campaign sign.

“All I could think about was the pain that word has caused so many of my friends as well as members of the Canadian community,” Singh said.

Sadly, he isn’t the only candidate targeted by this kind of hate.

Navjit Kaur, who wears a head covering, recently discovered one of her signs spray painted right by her campaign office.

“There was a sign in front of our campaign off and it says ‘Take this off or go home’,” Kaur, who is running in Brampton West, said. “It’s sad to see that this has happened. I think about all the people who have faced racial discrimination right here in our community and how they’re feeling.”

Just last month, as the campaign was swinging into full gear, the National Council of Canadian Muslims shared some concerning photos of vandalism attacks that “invoke deep themes of discrimination and racism”.

One with a swastika painted over the face of Mariam Ishak, a conservative candidate running Quebec’s Pierrefonds-Dollard and the words “Go back MF” were spray painted on the NDP’s Gurinder Singh Gill in Calgary.

Finally, the NCCM also posted a photograph of a Liberal sign for incumbent Salma Zahid partially burned.

Conservative candidate Nadirah Nazeer, who is running in Beaches East-York, also posted several photos of her elections signs ripped in half.