Komagata Maru memorial in Vancouver vandalized
Posted August 22, 2021 5:37 pm.
Last Updated August 23, 2021 5:24 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Someone has splashed white paint on the Komagata Maru Memorial in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour.
The memorial lists the names of the people on board the ill-fated ship in 1914.
It’s being described as a vile defacing of an important monument which recognizes a part of our country’s racist past. The paint is splashed across names of the nearly 400 Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu people who were on the vessel, and were stopped from entering Canada — in what has now been acknowledged as a racist incident.
Jindi Singh’s great great uncle was among those who were blocked from disembarking in Canada, and he came across the vandalism earlier today.
Singh says he brought his children to see the memorial, only to find it defaced with white paint, including handprints.
Very saddened to see the Komagata Maru Memorial defaced with graffiti today.
Handprints all over the names of those who were on the ship. @CitImmCanada@CityofVancouver @marshalederman pic.twitter.com/poTzanBlOw
— Jindi Singh KA (@jindisinghka) August 22, 2021
“We were quite devastated. I was explaining to my children the history of the Komagata Maru, what it meant to the South Asian community here in Canada as part of our history — as as part of their history — and then to come here and see this vile defacing of this very important memorial was quite upsetting,” Says Singh.
Singh hopes the city cleans up the memorial as soon as possible, and finds a way to prevent it from graffiti damage in future.
“I’ll be quite frank — It was sadness and anger, but this wasn’t the first time the Komagata Maru memorial has been defaced,” he says.
“To see the memorial has been defaced the way it has, has been quite upsetting,” explains Singh. “This memorial has been here for a number of years, it was the first time I’ve walked down with my family to see it, and it was a shock to us.”
Singh adds, he also hopes the person responsible is caught, and that the memorial is properly restored.
We’ve reached out to the Vancouver Police for comment on this story, and to see if it is investigating.
