Police are investigating a swastika that was spray-painted on a bus shelter north of Toronto, just three days after anti-Muslim graffiti was found outside of a nearby Islamic centre.
The metre-tall swastika was painted in white spray paint along with a message reading "F--k Israel," on a bus shelter on Atkinson Avenue near Bathurst Street in Thornhill sometime between midnight and 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
"This sort of hate-motivated crime is unacceptable, it's outrageous. It's disappointing, and we're going to do everything we can to solve this crime," York Regional Police Sgt. Clint Whitney said.
The bus shelter is approximately 3 kilometres south of the Jaffari Community Centre at 9000 Bathurst St., near Rutherford Road, which was vandalized on Sunday evening.
One of the messages found spray-painted read "F--k Gaza," and another read "Arab go home." York Regional Police called the vandalism a hate crime.
Swastikas were also found on the wall of Highview Public School in Aurora on Monday.
The school is about 20 kilometres from the Jaffari Centre, just off Bathurst on 240 McClellan Way.
Police say they have contacted the hate crime unit, but cannot confirm the motive behind the graffiti until the suspects have been located. Investigators say there are no suspects at this time, and they are reviewing security footage.
They're asking anyone with more information to contact police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7441, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
Police are looking for details on a suspect or suspects, and any surveillance footage that may have been captured by homeowners with surveillance cameras.
