On Tuesday, a group of preschoolers, who went out for an early-morning play session, saw racist and anti-Semitic graffiti on swings and modules in a park in northeast London, Ontario.
The n-word and swastikas decorated the park furniture Stephens Farmon Sunningdale Road.
We were in the woods all morning, then we decided to go to the park, and when we arrived the kids jumped up and asked, “What happened in the park?” We had a bit of a conversation about how sometimes people use words that are very harmful to different groups and the kids had an idea to clean it up.said Alyssa Watson, the early childhood educator who accompanied the children.
The children used spray bottles and wipes to clean up the graffiti, which was made of spray chalk.
We saw the n-word and quite a few swastikas. One of our oldest children agreed that it was a symbol of hatred and he was very angry about it because he had learned so little about world wars and what had happened in the past about it.said Ms. Watson.
London Police are currently investigating the incident and the London Police Chief has condemned the hate words and symbols.
It hurts us to learn of this horrific incident, especially considering the symbolism behind the hateful images and words depicted and the fact it is children’s playground equipment.said chef Steve Williams.
A teaching opportunity
We would like to thank the community members who brought to our attention this incident. The London Police Service has condemned all acts of hatred and violence against individuals or groups in our community. We will continue to thoroughly investigate all of these types of incidents and take legal action if necessary.
For Mrs. Watson, from the school program Adventure in the woods [Aventures dans les bois, traduction libre]the morning lesson about hate language and subsequent cleaning of the park was bitter.
I’m really glad we had the opportunity to teach something about it and they understood in themselves to be kind to others and clean up.said Ms. Watson.
Jennifer Benoit, the school’s owner, said she is proud that her young students did their part in the cleanup.
I hugged them all and told them I was so proud of them, and they were shininghe says. We take them out every day to clean up the trash and teach them that it is not good for the environment, so they know that cleaning is important.
In the afternoon, the children returned and drew hearts with chalk on the asphalt of the playground.
Anyone with information about the author of the graffiti is asked to call the police.
Source: Radio-Canada
