Vancouver: Komagata Maru memorial has been vandalized once again a second time in six months. The incident was reported in various media on Thursday a day before the 100th anniversary of the ship’s arrival in Vancouver. Vancouver police is seeking public support in the investigation.
The messages have been removed but the memorial panels are damaged due to the paint removal process. Earlier, a man had urinated on the memorial, but was let off by the police on grounds of mental instability.
Project Manager for Komagata Maru 1914-2014 project: Generations, Geographies and Echoes, Naveen Girn told Asian Journal that, “I learned about the Komagata Maru vandalism 2 weeks ago and since then the Vancouver Park Board has been communicating with the landscape architects, conservators and other professionals to clean the monument. In the process of cleaning, some of the rust that has built up over the past years was also removed. This rust will reappear over time and in a sense, the monument will heal itself. But what does that mean for our community? If we truly believe that the Komagata Maru has a living legacy in 2014 then we must resist discrimination and racism in all its forms. Whether this is based upon the colour of one’s skin or sexual orientation, it is our responsibility to mobilize towards greater equality.”
