A veteran Israeli Hockey Team player was shocked to find swastikas scrawled on his luggage between Canada and Austria.
"We were completely shocked," 31-year-old Ron Sorneau told Canadian Television (CTV). He said he filed a report with police in Austria, where the swastika is prohibited by law.
“The swastikas were drawn around the words ‘Israeli National Hockey Team’ and several Stars of David printed on the duffel bag, CTV reported. "The bag is going to hang in the dressing room for everyone to see why they're here and why they're wearing the jersey,” he told the television network.
Sorneau, a 16-year-veteran hockey player, said the anti-Semitic attack occurred between the time he left Toronto and his landing in Austria on a Lufthansa flight via Dusseldorf.
“We always have encountered some levels of racism but nothing to this extent,” he told the television network in a phone interview from Vienna, where the team is training. “We were shaking with anger,” he added. “We were four guys traveling from Toronto to meet the rest of our team in Vienna” prior to a game in Bulgaria.
Sorneau said airline officials were “absolutely embarrassed” when he reported the incident and that they encouraged him to file a criminal complaint.
He said the team is proud to represent Israel and that the swastika attack will not affect his performance on the ice during a division world championship game.