‘This is too much’: Vancouver Komagata Maru memorial vandalized again

The Komagata Maru memorial in Vancouver has been vandalized again.

The latest incident comes just nearly four months after the monument in Coal Harbour was defaced in 2022.

“When these memorials are vandalize the painful memories of intolerance and racism come back,” Raj Singh Toor, vice president for the Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society, writes in an email.

“These memorials serve to heal the wounds of the families of the victims and help to educate Canadians about the importance of creating a more tolerant society. The memorials we build for those who have suffered from racism are very special places that should be treated with respect by all Canadians.”

Images shared on social media show graffiti on sections of the memorial, with one post noting there was also “human excrement … seen nearby too.”

“This is too much!” a tweet featuring the images reads.

“The Komagata Maru tragedy is a dark chapter in Canadian history. The memorial itself, after the apology was done in the House of Commons, was a pathway into reconciliation of looking at our history, making sure that we learn from our history. And in the past number of years, there’s been a number of vandalisms at the Komagata Maru memorial, and it’s very disheartening,” Jasbir Sandhu, who was an advocate for the Komagata Maru apology, told CityNews Monday.

He says the repeated acts of vandalism at the site show people “are not learning from our history.”

“I think what we need to do … is to have this ongoing dialogue, educating people about our history, making sure that these kinds of events are condemned when they happen, and also teach people ahead of time that what significance this memorial represents to people in our community.”

In a reply to the online post, the Vancouver Police Department says it is “actively investigating the incident.”

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But with this now the third such instance of vandalism at the site in as many years, Sandhu wants to see more prevention.

“There’s immediate steps you can take. You can have preventative measures such as web cams and other cameras so people that are going to commit these kind of crimes are aware that they will be caught and persecuted,” he explained.

“The incidents have been happening over a period of time and I think it’s time that we look at some of the mitigating steps to take in order to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. But again, it’s a matter of educating our community, educating people, making sure they know our history.”

In October 2022, Vancouver police shared images of shattered glass on the memorial. At the time, the VPD said it appeared the damage was intentional.

Damage is seen on the Komagata Maru memorial in Vancouver on Wednesday, Oct. 5th, 2022. (Courtesy Vancouver Police)

Police promised that they would “leave no stone unturned” in their investigation.

The Komagata Maru memorial is meant to acknowledge a grim chapter in Canada’s past.

In 1914, the Komagata Maru ship was barred from entering the country because of discriminatory and racist laws. The vessel, which was carrying more than 370 passengers, including Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus, from British India was turned away after arriving at the Burrard Inlet.

After the ship returned to India, many of the passengers were shot and killed, while others were thrown in jail, being labelled as “political agitators.”

In August of 2021, white paint was found splashed across the memorial, with words and handprints also covering the monument. The paint was splashed across the names of the nearly 400 Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu people who were on the vessel.

One person was arrested and charged four months after the initial vandalism was reported.