CHERTSEY, Que. — Officials who run a summer camp north of Montreal for Ukrainian children say one of its signs has been vandalized with pro-Russian graffiti.
A photo shows the Camp Ste-Sophie sign covered with graffiti spelling the words "Russia" and "Wagner" — the name of the Russia-affiliated paramilitary group active in the invasion of Ukraine.
Also written on the sign at the entrance of the camp in Chertsey, Que., was the letter "Z," a symbol found on tanks and other Russian military equipment in the Ukrainian war theatre.
Simon Kouklewsky, vice-president of the Montreal-based parish that oversees the camp, said a parish member alerted him to the vandalism last Saturday and that camp officials reported the discovery to police.
Quebec provincial police spokesperson Éloïse Cossette confirmed the force is looking into an incident in Chertsey involving graffiti "that can be interpreted as hateful."
Rev. Volodymyr Kouchnir, who leads the parish and used to serve as Camp Ste-Sophie director, said no children were present at the time the vandalism was discovered because the camp is being renovated.
He said the vandalism is particularly hurtful because, unlike simple destruction of property, the written message evokes the killing of Ukrainians in the war. "This is not a joke," he said.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is calling the vandalism an act of hate.
The organization wants the Canadian government to do more to address what it calls a "rising tide of hate against Ukrainian Canadians." Among its recommendations is the creation of public campaigns to raise awareness of disinformation that it says is used to incite hatred.
"It's an attack on Ukrainians for sure," Michael Shwec, president of the congress's Quebec council, said of the Camp Ste-Sophie vandalism.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2023.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
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