Shoppers were shocked to see a somewhat threatening message spray-painted on the front walls of a Walmart in Mississauga Tuesday morning.
The graffiti was plastered in large print across the walls of the Walmart on Erin Mills Parkway and Burnhamthorpe Road West. The message, which was spray painted in red and blue, said: “To end the war…for Peace and victory… kill all Republicans please.”
The message went on to say “We R Logis. C U Friday.”
Peel police said the incident is being treated as a criminal offence “because there is property damage.”
Police said they responded to a call about the graffiti around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. They are investigating the damage, but are not calling it a hate crime at this moment.
“The contents have to indicate some sort of hate or bias against a certain group,” said Const. Iryna Yashnyk. “Whether it is religious, cultural, language and so on, which is not indicated in this phrase.”
“It’s not a statement against any political party here in Canada and therefore wouldn’t be investigated as a hate crime.”
Staff posted a sign on their store door addressing the message painted on the walls, saying they are cooperating with authorities.
“We apologize for the spray paint on the outside of our store. Unfortunately, the store was the victim of vandals. We have notified the police and we will remove this paint from the walls shortly. Thanks for your understanding.”
By mid-afternoon, the message had been painted over and extra security was seen at the front door.
