RCMP say racist graffiti on Treaty 8 building in Fort St. John is a 'potential hate crime'

WARNING: This story contains profanity and details and images of swastikas.

Marlene Roy had just wrapped up meetings at her office on Sunday in Fort St. John when she was sent pictures of swastikas and profanities spray painted onto the building.

Seeing those images, she said, was "horrifying."

Roy is executive director of the Treaty 8 Tribal Association, which provides advisory services to six First Nations in northeastern B.C.

"It's upsetting that there's still that kind of mindset around," she said.

To make matters worse, she said that as staff were working to clean the graffiti, someone drove by and yelled, "Heil Hitler."

On Friday, Fort St. John RCMP confirmed they are investigating the incident as a "potential hate crime."

Acting detachment commander Scott Watson said they're working to gather evidence. 

"Our frontline police officers are in the process of obtaining any available video surveillance from surrounding businesses to assist with timelines and trying to identify potential suspects," he said in a written release. 

The graffiti is being condemned provincially, with British Columbia's Indigenous relations minister, Christine Boyle, calling the spray paint "racist vandalism."

Boyle says it is important to stand against acts of hate, adding that Treaty 8 is a "critical part of B.C.'s work to advance reconciliation."

Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen called the vandalism "unacceptable" in an open statement, saying it goes against the values upheld in the community.

Jewish human rights group B'nai Brith Canada says it showcases how the swastika is being used against a variety of racialized groups, and it calls for a national ban on the public display of the emblem of the Nazi Party. 

That group says that when Nazi swastikas appear on streets, buildings and in our communities, they send a message that runs counter to everything Canada stands for.

"The recent use of the Nazi swastika to deface the Treaty 8 Tribal Association building in Fort St. John, B.C., is yet another stark reminder that the Nazi swastika represents the worst of society," the group said in a post to X. 

Roy said that, unfortunately, she is familiar with racist sentiments in the form of anti-Indigenous language in her community.

The solution, she said, is speaking out against it and educating others about different cultures and history.

She is heartened by the support she's been receiving, saying several people have called with words of solidarity and offers to paint murals on the wall to try to prevent future incidents.

"People need to speak up and be heard," she said. "It's just BS, you know?"