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February 20, 2004
Steveston anti-Semitism
Hate graffiti on wharf follows a school's defacement.
PAT JOHNSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Anti-Semitic graffiti has appeared in the Richmond community of
Steveston for the second time in recent weeks.
The latest incident was noticed by passers-by on the Steveston wharf
early last week. Written in felt pen on some of the wharf's nautical
hardware were the words "Cremate Jews" accompanied by
a swastika, as well as the word "Diaspora" followed by
an expletive.
In December, at the nearby Steveston high school, students arrived
to find comments including "Jews are gay" and "Burn
in the oven Jews," along with swastikas, drawn over Christmas
and Chanukah decorations on school windows. Like the recent incident,
these graffiti were also written in felt pen.
At the time of the first incident, the administration of Steveston
high school did not respond to calls from the Bulletin, but
the graffiti was removed from the windows very quickly.
After the second set of graffiti was discovered at the wharf, the
Bulletin contacted the Richmond school board's elected chair,
Lynda McPhail, who said she was unaware of any anti-Semitic graffiti.
She sought information from the administration at Steveston high
school.
"I have been assured by a vice-principal at Steveston that
the incident in question was an isolated incident, that it was dealt
with immediately, and that they would have no idea if there is a
connection with the Steveston wharf graffiti," McPhail said
in an e-mail. "It is indeed a sad fact that many of our elementary
schools and secondary schools are vandalized with graffitti each
year. We work with the RCMP youth liaison officers and local neighborhood
watches in trying to discourage such acts at our schools."
The Bulletin e-mailed and phoned McPhail to ask her whether
the virulent anti-Semitic graffiti disturbed her beyond the usual
concern about vandalism to school property. As of press time, McPhail
had not responded.
Pat Johnson is a native Vancouverite, a journalist and
commentator.
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