Rabbi outraged by swastikas spray-painted at Burnaby school
Posted June 28, 2012 5:07 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
BURNABY (NEWS1130) – A rabbi from Vancouver’s largest and oldest orthodox synagogue is outraged to learn Byrne Creek secondary in Burnaby has been spray-painted with swastikas.
The vandalism, Nazi swastikas spray-painted on windows and pavement, took place in the early morning of June 15 at the high school.
Andrew Rosenblatt at the Schara Tzedech synagogue says it is hard to understand the reason behind someone wanting to spread this message of hate.
“This is the kind of thing that just can’t be tolerated in the 21st century. There is too much history behind that symbol for anybody to tolerate this kind of racism,” he insists.
“This isn’t something new for us here in Canada, unfortunately. These kinds of hate are certainly learned. The swastika is not a symbol that was invented yesterday. There is lots of ignorance.”
The school is only two kilometres from the largest Jewish cemetery in the Lower Mainland.
The Burnaby detachment contacted the BC Hate Crime Team to assist in the investigation.
“These incidents not only impact the community and the students at Byrne Creek secondary on an emotional level, but also have a significant financial burden on both the City of Burnaby and Burnaby School District 41,” said Burnaby RCMP in a press release. “As such, the Burnaby RCMP and E Division Major Crime have committed a number of resources to this investigation as it is considered to be a high priority.”
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Burnaby RCMP at 604-294-7922, the BC Hate Crime Team at 604-598-4243 and 604-543-4903, or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477
