Jewish candidate's campaign signs defaced with hateful messages in Winnipeg's Tuxedo neighbourhood

Police are investigating after some election campaign signs for a Jewish candidate in the federal Winnipeg West riding were defaced with hateful messages, including some his campaign says were antisemitic.

Several re-election signs for candidate Marty Morantz were defaced in a string of vandalism incidents in the city's Tuxedo neighbourhood this weekend.

Some of the messages spray-painted over the signs include the words "traitor," "con men" and a slur for people with mental disabilities. The candidate's face in some of the signs was also defaced with a toothbrush mustache and haircut resembling Adolf Hitler's.

Morantz said he first heard about the graffiti Monday morning. He said some of the messages were antisemitic in nature.

"A substantial portion of Winnipeg's Jewish community lives in that area. So they are understandably distraught that in the middle of an election campaign, a sitting MP's campaign signs have been defaced with antisemitic graffiti," said Morantz, who is the incumbent candidate.

"I'm Jewish. I am not going to be intimidated by those who would traffic in hate. And this is my neighbourhood."

Morantz's campaign said Monday about seven or eight signs on private properties and two bus benches were vandalized. The benches along Corydon Avenue had new signs by Monday afternoon.

The candidate said some of the vandalized signs were near where he and his family live.

Some were placed on the homes of Jewish constituents, with one of the residences about a block away from the Asper Jewish Community Campus, he said.

"They very much targeted a spot where they knew the maximum number of Jewish people would go by," said Avrom Charach, a member of Winnipeg's Jewish community, calling the situation "disturbing."

Charach, who spends time removing antisemitic graffiti in the city, said it's one thing to disagree with somebody's politics, but to see someone being targeted because of their faith is a whole different matter.

"It should never happen. It doesn't matter what faith group you're from, what country your family came from," he said.

"We're all Canadians and you should just respect, you know, not destroy or deface or try to make people feel uncomfortable."

Morantz, who was out canvassing where some of the signs were defaced Monday afternoon, said people in the neighbourhood were aware of the situation and "disgusted by it."

"Silence is complicity when it comes to these kinds of things. All politicians should be speaking up against this type of hate when it rises in our communities," he said.

"It's a very serious thing and I'm thankful, actually, to the Winnipeg Police Service that they're taking it very seriously."

Winnipeg police issued a release around noon on Monday, saying the police service was aware of reports about graffiti-related incidents in the Tuxedo area, and that the major crimes unit was investigating.

Police said later that day they had no further comment at this time.

Liberal candidate Doug Eyolfson said in a statement posted on social media Monday evening that he was extending his best wishes to Morantz and his team.

Antisemitism has no place in Canada, Eyolfson said.

"This cannot be how we conduct ourselves when we disagree with a candidate's platform," Eyolfson said. "There's no room for hate in politics. I know Winnipeg West is better than this."