Police investigating hate-motivated graffiti

The Calgary Police Service is investigating after graffiti targeting Muslims and people of Middle-Eastern descent was found on a vehicle in Rundle yesterday morning.

In the early morning hours of Thursday, April 6, 2017, a grey Infiniti SUV parked in the 2200 block of 48 Street N.E., was spray painted with vulgar phrases targeting Islam and “Arabs.” The vehicle was also scratched with a key and the windows were broken.

Police believe the owner of the vehicle and residents of the house where the SUV was parked were targeted due to their ethnicity. No other vehicles on the street were damaged.

The incident is being investigated as a hate crime, and police are asking anyone with information to come forward.

“When people are targeted with vandalism and hateful messages, it has a big impact on how safe they feel in the community,” says Senior Constable Craig Collins, Hate Crimes Coordinator with the Calgary Police Service. “These are not minor offences. We take it very seriously and will pursue the people responsible to try to prevent other families from being victimized in the same way, simply because of their ethnicity or religion.”

Graffiti targeting certain people based on ethnicity or religion has been occurring more regularly in Calgary. There have been six investigations into hateful graffiti launched this year, including a recent high-profile case in a Ranchlands park.

Police also work closely with The City of Calgary to address all forms of graffiti. This is done through the Joint Graffiti Investigative Team, which consists of officers from The City of Calgary Community Standards, Calgary Transit Public Safety & Enforcement, and police.

Police encourage anyone who sees graffiti targeting a specific group to report it by calling the police non-emergency line at 403-266-1234. Other graffiti on public property should be reported to The City of Calgary through their online portal.

If you see a person spraying graffiti on either public or private property, please call 9-1-1.

Anyone with information on the Rundle incident is asked to contact police by calling the non-emergency number at 403-266-1234, or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously using any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org
TEXT: tttTIPS to 274637

Case# 17137874/4771