Toronto mayor slams Islamophobic hate graffiti at Muslim school

Two elected officials shocked at hate graffiti sprayed on a Canadian Toronto-area Muslim school wall stepped forward Tuesday to help clean off the offensive remarks.

Two elected officials shocked at hate graffiti sprayed on a Canadian Toronto-area Muslim school wall stepped forward Tuesday to help clean off the offensive remarks.

“The first thing I thought is ‘I can’t let the kids see this tomorrow morning.’ It’s disgusting. It’s not who we are,” said Glenn De Baeremaeker, councillor for Scarborough Centre, who was out riding his bike when he noticed the red and black spray-painted messages on the exterior walls of Wali ul Asr school, East Campus, on Torrance Road, near Eglinton Avenue East and McCowan Road, Scarborough.

“I can’t imagine a 5-year-old or 10-year-old innocent child coming to school and parents having to walk past this type of hateful, racist graffiti,” he said.

Police are investigating after the expletive-filled anti-Muslim graffiti was spray-painted on the brick wall at Wali ul Asr school, which has several campuses in Ontario ranging from kindergarten to Grade 12.

Toronto Mayor John Tory was quick to condemn the act.

“This hatred is unacceptable at any time, but it is disturbing someone would choose to do this during Ramadan,” Tory said on Twitter. He also thanked the pair of councilors who helped remove the graffiti before students arrived at school.