After a Winnipeg synagogue and mosque were spray-painted with swastikas, a 34-year-old man was arrested and charged by the police.
Oliver Didtger Ederhof was charged with 14 counts of mischief under $5,000 for spray painting “hate-related” and other graffiti on garages, houses, vehicles, park signs, a school, and houses of worship, police announced on Friday.
The investigations are still ongoing, and hate crime charges may be added, Major Crimes Division inspector Jen McKinnon said.
Last Friday, the suspect had allegedly vandalized the Congregation Shaarey Zedek marble facade and door glass panels with graffiti that included swastikas and the word “hate,” the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg said.
Police also responded to a suspicious item at the site, recovered it as evidence, but determined that it did not pose a threat to public safety.
The federation said it was contacted by a school superintendent about swastikas being spray-painted on Kelvin High School, and said it was troubled by a “disturbing pattern of hate-motivated acts in our city.”
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said the graffiti targeted Jewish students and that “hate and intimidation” would “not be accepted” in the province. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that on Wednesday, the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq mosque and community center had also been graffitied with swastikas, which Kinew also decried as Islamophobic.
Kinew promised that his government was “taking concrete action to confront hate crimes, including strengthening police responses and appointing a dedicated hate crimes prosecutor.” Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham praised the police after they arrested a suspect.
“We need to be clear that this kind of hate is not welcome in our neighborhoods, and perpetrators will face consequences,” said Gillingham.
Jewish Federation welcomes arrest of suspect
The Jewish Federation welcomed the arrest of a suspect, noting on Facebook that the community had shown resilience and cross-faith unity to reject hatred. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs commended the police on their swift work, adding that it now expected the criminal to be held accountable to “the full extent of the law.”
“This is essential in deterring violent extremists and safeguarding the future for all Canadians,” said CIJA.
B’nai Brith Canada called on Kinew and Gillingham to establish a provincial and municipal task force to confront hate crimes in Winnipeg, noting that Palestinian business Habibiz Cafe also had its windows shattered and derogatory messages written on its property on Sunday.
Habibiz wrote on Instagram that a masked person holding a hammer smashed the windows of the business, leaving a note that read “Leave our country, terrorist f***.”
The Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba launched a fundraiser for the cafe on Tuesday, seeking to raise $30,000 to cover damages.
Police said that there was no connection between the other incidents and the attack on the Habibiz Cafe.