Six swastikas have been painted in various southwest Edmonton neighbourhoods.
Edmonton police said officers were first dispatched to three homes in the Lessard neighbourhood around noon Friday, where they discovered three swastikas painted on the rear of a residential driveway near 172 Street and 57 Avenue.
An adjacent home to the north had "780" painted on its rear fence.
They were alerted to another one at the back fence of a different home nearby.
An ETS bus stop near 57 Avenue and 174 Street was also vandalized with the symbol, which has since been removed.
Several blocks away, near 63 Avenue and 172 Street, another one was painted on a school’s basketball court.
Ward 5 councillor Sarah Hamilton said in addition to the painted swastikas, racist and homophobic words were written on public property.
“Hatred has no place in our city and I want to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, any expression of hatred and bigotry,” Hamilton said in a statement.
“No matter what language we speak, where we were born or what we believe, we all want the same things for ourselves and our families.”
Police believe the string of vandalism happened early Thursday morning and are seeking surveillance video that could help identify the suspects.
The EPS Hate Crimes Unit is being consulted in the case.
Anyone with information is asked to contact EPS at 780-423-4567 or anonymously submit tips to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
