The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) is aware and actively investigating an act of vandalism at the National Holocaust Monument in the LeBreton Flats area of Ottawa.
Police say the incident occurred last night and the monument was defaced with red paint that reads the words “FEED ME”.
The Hate and Bias Crime Unit is investigating and asks anyone with information to contact them at 613-236-1222, extension 5625.
“We were disgusted to learn that the National Holocaust Monument was defaced overnight,” Adam Silver, CEO & President of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa said in a statement released on Facebook.
“This is not just vandalism, it is an act of desecration against the memory of six million Jews and millions of other victims murdered in the Holocaust. It is an attack on Holocaust remembrance and on the dignity of survivors, their families, and our entire community,” Sliver said.
OPS treats “incidents of this nature seriously and recognizes the profound impact they have on the community.”
Local politicians have shared their thoughts on the act of vandalism noticed this morning in Ottawa.
Ottawa mayor, Mark Sutcliffe, took to X saying, “It’s shocking and disturbing to see it defaced today. Protests and demonstrations are an essential part of our democracy. Disfiguring a sacred monument in a way that will traumatize victims, survivors and their families is not.”
“I am reaching out to Ottawa’s Jewish community and other faith leaders, and to the Ottawa Police Service. Let’s continue to unite together as a community to fight against hatred in all its forms.”
Area MP Yasir Naqvi condemns the act saying it’s “a disgraceful, antisemitic act of vandalism.”
There has been no information provided regarding any suspects at the time of writing.
