Toronto (August 21, 2018) - Just days after hate-motivatedgraffiti was discovered in Mississauga, a swastika was found spray painted on aschool in London, Ontario over the weekend. London police were notified of theincident by the Thames Valley District School Board and are in the process ofinvestigating.

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) has reached out tothe school board offering educational programs and to London Police Service,who confirmed today that the swastika graffiti is being treated as a hate crime.

“Schools are unfortunately a common target for hatefulgraffiti, as we’ve witnessed just this past week. The school board took theright steps by first reporting the incident to police and then requesting theremoval of the graffiti,” said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo.

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Education Director responds to swastika graffiti found on London school

"I was deeply concerned anddisappointed to learn that a swastika was recently spray painted on one of ourschools. While the symbol was quickly cleaned off the wall, the incident servedas a reminder that there is much more work that must be done to educate our childrenand the public.

The swastika is a hurtful andhorrible symbol of oppression and genocide that affected millions of people,and painfully scarred generations of their families, friends and loved ones.

This incident is a reminder of how, in our free society, we must remainvigilant against the spread of hate toward others and the need to continue the work of building a truly diverse andinclusive society."

- Laura Elliott, Director of Education, ThamesValley District School Board