Hitler graffiti spray-painted at Calgary playground a possible hate crime: police

Graffiti spray-painted at a Calgary playground on the day once celebrated as Adolf Hitler’s birthday is being investigated as a hate crime, according to police.

Investigators say at some point between 9 p.m. on Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, someone painted the words “I love Hitler” and other profanity on the parking lot of the playground at 384 Woodvale Drive S.W.

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Historically, Hitler’s birthday was marked on April 20, and the day was a national holiday in Germany under the Nazi regime.

“This incident is being investigated as a hate crime because it is a criminal offence to deface public property and the vandalism is of an offensive nature to the Jewish community,” police said in a news release.

“Vandalism is more than a property offence, it often has a lasting emotional impact on people whose homes and properties are damaged, especially if the vandalism indicates that victims have been intentionally targeted due to a personal characteristic or trait.”

Police said evidence of hate motivation behind a crime is considered by the courts once a person is found guilty.

If, during sentencing, the judge decided hate was a motivating factor, it is considered an aggravating factor and can be added to the criminal’s sentence.

Just over a week ago, police issued a public plea looking for help investigating another possibly hate-motivated graffiti attack, that saw “KKK” and “rat” spray-painted on a person’s home in the northwest.

Anyone with information on the graffiti is asked to call police at 403-266-1234 or to contact Crime Stoppers.