Charge laid in relation to hateful propaganda placed in recreational centre

One man has been charged following the placement of white supremacist stickers in a locker room in January 2024 at a public recreation centre in southeast Calgary.

On Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, a man accessed the public facilities at the MNP Community and Sport Centre located at 2225 Macleod Trail S.E., and attached stickers promoting white supremacy to lockers in a public locker room. The staff at the recreation centre immediately removed the stickers and reported the incident to the police.

On Monday, March 18, 2024, after reviewing CCTV and speaking with staff at the centre, one man was identified and charged in relation to the incident.

Mark Lloyd PEARSON, 50, of Calgary, has been charged with one count of mischief which has been determined to be hate-motivated.

“We have seen similar stickers promoting white supremacy attached to objects in public locations across Calgary”, says acting Sgt. Matt Messenger of the Calgary Police Service Hate Crime Prevention Team. “Calgary is the third most diverse city in Canada, and these stickers are purposefully placed in locations where the public can easily see them in order to leave people feeling unwelcome and like they don’t belong. This is unacceptable and we will continue to hold those responsible accountable.”

Hate-motivated crimes are recognizable crimes, like assault, theft, vandalism or any other crime, where the offender was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate that is based on one of nine personal characteristics of the victim. If you see hate, report it. Visit www.reporthate.ca for more information on how and why to report.

TALK: 1-800-222-8477

TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org

APP: P3 Tips

Case #: CA24038289/4757