Vandals cover B.C. city’s rainbow crosswalk with swastikas

White Rock’s rainbow crosswalk was defaced with swastikas early Friday morning, just 10 days after it was unveiled as part of the city ’s Pride week celebrations.

The city celebrated the installation of the colourful crosswalk in the city ’s Five Corners neighbourhood on July 23, the same day the LGBTQ2 Pride flag was raised at White Rock Municipal Hall.

White Rock RCMP say the crosswalk was defaced just after midnight Friday.

“The city is disappointed that such an act has occurred as the message of the rainbow crosswalk is to cultivate kindness, respect, and inclusion,” the city of White Rock said in a statement.

City staff were on scene at 6 a.m. and spent several hours removing symbols and words that had been scrawled over the rainbow design.

“Swastikas were painted on there along with gender-based slurs,” said Ernie Klassen, a member of the White Rock Pride Committee. “When we were told about the swastikas, that’s where we said this goes from being simple vandalism to being a hate crime.”

The White Rock Pride Committee, which held its inaugural Pride party last Saturday, was raising funds to have the rainbowcoloured crosswalk permanently installed at Five Corners before the city agreed to foot the bill.

Klassen says the vandalism reinforces the importance of Pride’s message of inclusion.

“We need to keep putting out symbols that represent tolerance and acceptance,” he said.

“Honestly, I’ve gotten so many phone calls and text message from community people today, and they are just appalled that this could happen.”