Halton police clarify hate crime target after graffiti sprayed on monument
Posted July 17, 2020 4:25 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Halton Regional Police issued a correction on Friday about a case involving vandalism at an Oakville cemetery.
Police originally said they were investigating the hate-motivated incident after graffiti was sprayed on a monument in a Ukrainian cemetery.
However, they have been forced to clarify that the identifiable group targeted by the graffiti was not Nazis.
The reason for the controversy was the monument is dedicated to Ukrainian soldiers who fought for Hitler in a unit of the SS that was opposing Soviet forces in Ukraine during the World War II.
The graffiti spray-painted on the monument was “Nazi war memorial,” and was discovered on June 22 at St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery.
Investigators say they believe the graffiti was targeting either the identifiable group of Ukrainians in general or Ukrainian members of this cultural centre.
Halton police said in their statement, “We regret any hurt caused by misinformation that suggests that the Service in any way supports Nazism.”
The investigation is still ongoing and police say they will issue a statement once it has been completed.
Mayor Rob Burton commented on the statue itself in a statement saying, municipalities have no role in regulating the contents of private cemeteries.
“It’s personally repugnant to me, I have family who died fighting Nazis. If Ontario laws permitted me to have it removed, it would have been gone 14 years ago.”
