Hamilton police search for man who wrote anti-Semitic graffiti downtown

Hamilton police say they aretrying to identify aman who wrote multipleanti-Semitic messagesaround the city's core this week.

Police say the graffitiwas found nearMain Street West and Bay Street between Sunday and Tuesday.

Const.Indy Bharajtold CBC Hamilton the city's hate crime unit is investigating.

He saidMcMaster University security notified police on Mondayabout hateful graffiti captured on surveillance video.

"The Graffiti was done in black marker and was found on the McMaster University sign located at the intersection of Main Street West and Bay Street,"Bharaj said.

"The same suspect was captured writing with a marker on the black marble seating area behind the McMaster Universitysign."

Bharaj said the next day, the city called police about more hateful messages, this time at the intersection of Bay Street North and York Boulevard.

He said there was graffiti on the sidewalk near the edge of55 Bay Street North (a federal building) and graffiti on a bus shelter at King Street West and Bay Street North.

The suspect is described as a Black man with a larger build with short black hair. Police say the man is likely in his 30s, 40s or 50s.

He was reportedly wearing ablack sweater, jeans, red running shoes and carrying a black backpack.

It's unclear how many messages were found or what they said.

Police say anyone with information about the graffiti can contact Det.Fabiano Mendes with the local hate crime unitat 905-546-5678 or Crime Stoppers.

This comesas Hamilton has seena record number ofhate crimes.

In 2021, police reported108 hate incidents (87 of which weren't considered crimes), a 35 per cent increase from 2020, but the figure is around average when compared to past years.

Newly released Statistics Canadadataalso shows the countrysaw continued increases in the rates of various criminally harassing and threatening behaviours. There were2,073 reported hate crimes in 2017 and last year saw 3,360 nationally.