Anti-Semitic and racist graffiti was found in two schools in Brandon, Canada on June 15, according to local police.
The Brandon police believe that the graffiti was spray-painted on Linden Lanes School and Vincent Massey High School during the hours of 4-5 a.m. Staff Sergeant Guy Roberts described the graffiti as featuring “anti-Semitic comments and logos” as well as “racial slurs including the N-word,” per the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Roberts also said that the schools were in the process of cleaning up the graffiti.
Brandon School Division Superintendent Marc Casavant told CTV News in an email, “These situations are unfortunate but a reminder in the work that lies ahead in educating a community.”
The police believe the suspect, seen on surveillance footage, is a male in his late teens or early 20s, wearing a black baseball hat and a black bandana covering his face.
According to B’nai Brith Canada’s annual audit in April, anti-Semitic incidents in the country rose from 1,752 in 2017 to 2,041 in 2018, a record high for the third straight year. B’nai Brith Canada’s League for Human Rights Director Ran Ukashi said, “This represents the third straight record-breaking year for anti-Semitism in Canada, reflecting a ‘new normal’ regarding the landscape of anti-Semitism here.”