Canada’s Holocaust Memorial Vandalized With Red Paint, Police Investigating

The national memorial in Ottawa for the victims of the Holocaust was vandalized, and police said they are investigating.

The monument, sitting on Wellington Street where many government buildings including Parliament Hill are located, was splashed with red paint and the words “Feed me” written on it.

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) said the act of vandalism was carried out during the night of June 8 to 9, and that its Hate and Bias Crime Unit is leading the investigation. Police encouraged the public to send in tips.

The vandalism, taking place in a context where acts of anti-Semitism have increased in frequency, prompted a flurry of reactions from politicians and advocates.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he’s “appalled” by the graffiti and called the defacing “reprehensible.”

“This is a monument that commemorates the six million Jewish lives murdered during the Holocaust, and the millions of other victims of Nazi Germany. It is a space for mourning and remembrance,” he said on social media.

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre called for empowering authorities to stop anti-Semitic attacks and make Canada “safe for all.”

“The antisemitic thugs who vandalized the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa should be caught and locked up for this crime,” he said on social media.

Deputy Tory Leader Melissa Lantsman, who is Jewish, also decried the vandalism as a “disgusting and cowardly act.”

The words “feed me” painted on the memorial appear to be linked to the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been accused by entities like the United Nations of limiting aid delivery and causing acute malnutrition.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on June 9 that 1,200 aid trucks have entered the Strip in the past two weeks, with close to 11 million meals transferred directly to civilians by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed U.S. group.

The food distribution operation, seeking to prevent terrorist group Hamas from hijacking aid shipments, has been plagued by violence in recent days, with one site having to close on June 9 due to “chaos,” Israeli media reported.

The act of vandalism is one in a long string of anti-Semitic attacks in Canada and elsewhere since Hamas conducted raids inside Israel in October 2023, and Israel responded with a military operation that continues today.

Jewish institutions in Canada such as schools have been attacked with gunfire and firebombs. While these attacks led to no deaths or injuries, recent events in the United States have been deadly. Two staffers from the Israeli embassy in Washington were killed on May 21 by a suspect who yelled “Free Palestine” upon his arrest. In a separate attack, an Egypt-born illegal immigrant firebombed pro-Israel protested in Colorado on June 1, injuring 12, also yelling “Free Palestine.”

Reacting to the vandalism of the Holocaust Monument, Ottawa’s special envoy on combatting anti-Semitism said the act “does nothing to bring peace to the Middle East.”

“It is an act of vile antisemitism and a hate crime. Full stop. This is a disgusting display of Jew Hatred in our nation’s capital,” Deborah Lyons said on social media.

Canada has sharpened its criticism of Israel’s operations in Gaza in recent weeks with the issuance of a joint statement with France and the United Kingdom saying they would take “further concrete actions” to address the military operation and humanitarian situation.

The move drew a rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said the countries were offering a “huge prize” to Hamas.

Carney on June 9 announced his plan to reach NATO’s 2 percent defence spending guideline and mentioned the Palestinian issue in the context of protecting sovereignty.

“When we stand up for territorial integrity, whether it’s in Ukraine or West Bank and Gaza, we are also standing up for the territorial integrity of the Canadian Arctic,” he said.