Police are investigating after Canada’s National Holocaust Monument was vandalized with red paint and the words “FEED ME” overnight. Crews arrived at the LeBreton Flats memorial, just west of Parliament Hill, to cover up the vandalism with tarps and began scrubbing the concrete that frames the site’s eternal flame. Officers with the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Hate and Bias Crime Unit (HBCU) have classified the incident as a suspected hate crime and are looking at security camera footage. No arrests had been made, but investigators said they are reviewing tips and footage. .Political and community leaders quickly condemned the attack. Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman called the vandalism “a disgusting and cowardly act.” .Ottawa Centre Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi labelled it “a disgraceful, antisemitic act of vandalism,” while Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said the scene was “shocking and disturbing for survivors and their families.” Prime Minister Mark Carney tweeted that defacing a place of remembrance for the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust was “reprehensible.” .Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner tweeted that, “Bile rose in my throat when I saw what was done to the Holocaust memorial. I will not repost the photo. This was an act of hate. Throw the book at whoever did it. There must be consequences.” .Deborah Lyons, Canada’s Special Envoy on Holocaust Remembrance, said the graffiti “does nothing to bring peace to the Middle East. It is vile antisemitism. Full stop.” The phrase “FEED ME” has circulated online alongside images of famine in Gaza, but police have not suggested a motive. Jewish advocacy groups B’nai Brith Canada and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs urged swift charges, pointing out that Statistics Canada data shows reported hate crimes against Jews jumped 71% between 2022 and 2023. .Completed in 2017, the stone monument is Canada’s first national memorial to the Holocaust. It hosts commemoration ceremonies and school tours. Workers are expected to finish removing the paint by Tuesday, though officials said protective coatings may be added to guard against future attacks. Anyone with information is asked to contact OPS or Crime Stoppers.
