Winnipeg Police Service has informed Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) that graffiti spotted outside a synagogue in Garden City is being investigated as a hate crime.

A swastika spray painted on a garbage bin was spotted late last week outside the Chevra Mishnayes Synagogue.

“This is not just a case of vandalism, as the perpetrator clearly targeted a Jewish place of worship to spray paint a symbol that represents hatred and is a reminder of the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime during the Holocaust,” said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. “We commend police for taking this incident seriously and investigating it as a hate crime.”