Police in Edmonton, Canada, are investigating after anti-Semitic graffiti was discovered in the Lessard neighborhood in the city, including outside a Jewish school.
Red swastikas were found painted on driveways, fences, a bus stop and the basketball court of the Talmud Torah school, according to Global News.
Officers responded to three homes at noon Friday and found three red swastikas spray-painted on a back driveway near 172 Street and 57 Avenue. The home across the street was also vandalized; the numbers “780” were painted in blue on the back fence.
Police found another symbol spray-painted on a different property on Lessard Drive, this time on the back fence.
There were also reports of another swastika painted on an ETS bus stop near 57 Avenue and 174 Street. That graffiti has been removed, police said.
Then, officers went to a school near 63 Avenue and 172 Street after receiving complaints that another swastika had been painted on the basketball court there.
Sarah Hamilton, the city councillor for the area, condemned the vandalism in a statement.
“Among the crude and reprehensible damage to the community league and public property were spray-painted swastikas, as well as racial and homophobic slurs. Hatred has no place in our city and I want to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, any expression of hatred and bigotry,” she said.
The vandalism was condemned by Steven Shafir, President of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton and member of the Board of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).
“Our community was shocked and deeply disturbed when we learned that a swastika was painted on the property of the Talmud Torah School. Sadly, this is yet another attack on Canada’s Jewish community, which remains the most frequently-targeted religious minority group in Canada, year after year,” he said.
“On this Heritage Day long weekend, where Albertans are celebrating the diversity of our province and country, this recent incident flies in the face of our core Canadian values including acceptance of all people, regardless of who they are.”
“This latest display of ignorance and hate has raised alarms within our community. We will work closely with local government officials and the professionals within the Edmonton Police Service’s Hate Crimes unit to ensure that Jewish Canadians – and our institutions – remain safe,” added Shafir.
B’nai Brith Canada recently reported that Canada had a record number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2017.
There were 752 incidents of harassment, vandalism and violence, a 1.4% increase over the record 1,728 last year, according to the organization’s annual audit.
Last November, Statistics Canada released a report which found that Jews were the most targeted minority group for hate crimes in Canada in 2016.