Racist graffiti on western Quebec bridge sparks anger, outrage

A kayakerwho spottedracist and antisemitic graffiti on a bridge in Wakefield, Que., two weeks ago says she's shocked it still hasn't been removed.

Nina Guerra was kayaking with a friend on theGatineauRiver on Aug. 6 when they spotted a swastika and other Nazi iconography on the small bridge on chemin Riverside inthe picturesque western Quebec town.

Guerra said she informed the police in the region, hoping for swift action.

"We were just so disgusted that this was there ... we took pictures and we wanted to see what we could do about it," she said.

But the graffiti still had not been removed as of Saturday, leaving Guerra shocked. She said she's going to keep asking authorities to act until it's gone.

"There are many reasons we are doing this. The first is to find out who is actually responsible for hate crimes, andwho is going to take the responsibility for it. The second, is [to find out] who is going to erase this hateful graffiti," she said.

The MRC des Collines-de-l'Outaouais, the local police force, told Radio-Canada they searched for a record of Guerra's complaint but could not find it.

Coun.Claude Girouxwith the wider municipality of La Peche, Que., said he onlylearned about the graffiti on Saturday. Removing it could take another couple of days, he said.

"The next step will be to determine who owns that bridge. Now, when a bridge passes over a river in Quebec, in principle it belongs to Ministere des Transports.But because it's on a municipal road, it's not clear. I'll clear this up with the administration on Monday," he said.

If the bridge doesindeedbelong to Quebec's ministry of transportation, Giroux said he would ask them to have the graffiti removed.

The ministry did not respond to a request for comment by Radio-Canada.

Nathalie Coutou, the owner of a Wakefield boutique sellingIndigenous apparel, said she was also shocked to hear the bridge had been vandalized.

"This should have never happened. I've lived here for 21 years, I've never seen something like this happen," Coutou said.

"When I see this, it [shows]we have a lot of work to do in educating ourselves."