The Ottawa Police Service is investigating a hate-motivated graffiti that occurred on Friday, October 16th at the National War Memorial on Wellington Street.
At approximately 9:46pm, a man riding a bike approached the Memorial, used a sharp object to engrave a hate graffiti on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He left the area on the bike.
The suspect is described as Caucasian man. He was wearing a light-coloured sweater, dark pants, a dark tuque, a black back pack and was riding a mountain style bike (see photos).
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Detective Ali Toghrol of the Ottawa Police Hate Crime Investigations Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5453.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca.
The National War Memorial, also known as “The Response,” is a cenotaph symbolizing the sacrifice of all Canadian Armed Forces personnel who have served Canada in time of war in the cause of peace and freedom–past, present and future. The memorial is the site of the national Remembrance Day Ceremony on November 11.
In 1925, a world-wide competition was held to choose a design for a national commemorative war monument to be built in the capital of Canada
A total of 127 entries were received – 66 from Canada, 24 from England, 21 from France, seven from the United States, five from Belgium, two from Italy, one from Scotland and one from Trinidad. Seven finalists were then chosen to submit scale models of their designs.
In 1926, the Board of Assessors selected the model submitted by Vernon March of Farnborough, Kent, England. His theme was “the Great Response of Canada,” represented by uniformed figures from all services passing through a granite arch. The idea, March wrote, was “to perpetuate in this bronze group the people of Canada who went Overseas to the Great War, and to represent them, as we of today saw
The National War Memorial was officially unveiled by His Majesty King George VI on Sunday, May 21, 1939. In his address to an estimated 100,000 persons who gathered to witness the ceremony, King George spoke of the symbolism of the memorial and the sacrifice to which it was dedicated.
On 22 October 2014, a gunman, armed with a rifle, shot at the sentries on duty at the tomb, fatally wounding one, Corporal Nathan Cirillo of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s) of Hamilton, before proceeding across the street and into the Centre Block parliament building. There, the gunman was killed in a firefight inside the building.
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