Swastika vandalism upsets Saint John resident
Last Updated: Wednesday, July 28, 2010 | 10:20 AM AT
CBC News
A Saint John resident is speaking out after her vehicle was tagged with swastikas and spray paint over the weekend.
Margret Begner awoke on Sunday morning to see the latest act of vandalism, a sight that the Saint John Police say is becoming more common.
"Our vehicle was attacked with paint, a wonderful colour, light lilac. [The paint was] poured over the top of the car and over the front of the car," she said.
Begner said worse than the paint slopped on her SUV were the spray-painted swastikas on some of its windows and doors. She believes they are an attack on her German roots.
"When I noticed the Nazi signs, that was the point where I said, 'This is enough now.' My husband and I immigrated from Germany in 1992 and have been living in this city most of the time," Begner said.
"[We] have become part of the community in any way you can imagine, and have contributed to this community and this city. At no point we ever imagined that our German heritage could become a point of disgrace."
Begner wasn't the only victim in the weekend's graffiti spree.
Saint John Police Sgt. Pat Bonner said a local church's community centre was also defaced by green spray paint and swastikas.
Bonner said the two acts of vandalism may be connected.
"We're not certain at this time, so we're looking for any information that anyone may have in association with this vandalism that took place."
Bonner added "It's a little bit higher than vandalism because of the swastikas signs that were painted. It's sort of a hate crime that's associated with it."
Begner said she hopes the police make swift arrests in the case. She said that her new security system caught this weekend's vandalism on camera.
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