Former City of Ottawa Lawyer Pleads Guilty, Out on Bail for Vandalizing Holocaust Monument

A former City of Ottawa lawyer has pleaded guilty and been released on bail after allegedly vandalizing the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa with red paint.

Iain Aspenlieder, 46, was charged on June 27 with mischief to a war memorial, mischief exceeding $5,000, and harassment by threatening conduct.

He appeared in court on July 25 and pleaded guilty to one count of mischief for spreading red paint on the Holocaust monument. The Crown consented to his release on bail.

Aspenlieder’s lawyer, Michael Spratt, says the other two charges are expected to be withdrawn by the Crown when the sentencing process concludes.

Police discovered the Holocaust monument to be vandalized with red paint on June 9 and the words “Feed me” were also written on it in red paint. Police found that the vandalism took place the night before.

Surveillance recordings captured Aspenlieder arriving at the monument just before 3 a.m. on a bicycle carrying red bags and throwing paint on the monument, according to the agreed statement of facts. He left cans of red paint at the monument, which police collected as evidence.

Aspenlieder was arrested at home on June 27 following an investigation by the Ottawa Police Service’s Hate and Bias Crime Unit. At the time of arrest, Aspenlieder was wearing a shirt that had red paint on it and told police he was wearing “incriminating evidence,” the statement says. The following day, he attended a bail hearing while engaging in a hunger strike, but he was denied bail at the time.

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe announced on June 29 that the City of Ottawa’s legal department had confirmed Aspenlieder was no longer employed by the city. He noted that Aspenlieder was on leave at the time of the vandalism incident.

‘Feed Me’

The vandalism took place amid an increase in acts of anti-Semitism taking place since terrorist group Hamas launched raids inside Israel in October 2023, an attack that has been followed by Israeli military action.

The words “Feed me” were painted on the monument at a time when entities like the United Nations were accusing Israel of limiting aid delivery in the Gaza Strip. Israel has been trying to control aid distribution, saying it wants to prevent Hamas from hijacking the shipments.

Spratt said Aspenlieder has “accepted responsibility for his actions,” which he says were driven by “a profound sense of compassion and moral urgency — not by hatred or prejudice.”

“He looks forward to demonstrating that his motivation was rooted in a desire to call attention to human suffering, not to cause harm or spread intolerance,” Spratt said.

Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the incident in June, saying he was “appalled” by the vandalism and calling the act “reprehensible.” Similarly, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the “thugs” responsible for the vandalism should be “locked up.”

The Crown will likely seek a penitentiary sentence, Spratt said, noting that the defence will probably suggest that the time Aspenlieder spent in custody since last month is “punishment enough for his actions.”

Aspenlieder was earning over $148,000 per year as a legal counsel for the City of Ottawa, according to the Ontario Sunshine List.

Noé Chartier and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.