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Racist graffiti on western Quebec bridge sparks anger, outrage

A kayaker who spotted racist and antisemitic graffiti on a bridge in Wakefield, Que., two weeks ago says she's appalled that it still hasn't been removed.

Warning: Story contains imagery that some may find offensive

Uday Rana · CBC ·
A kayaker paddles on a river running underneath a bridge.
A kayaker makes their way beneath a graffiti-laden bridge in Wakefield, Que., in August 2022. There have been complaints that some of the graffiti on the bridge is racist and antisemitic. (Radio-Canada)

A kayaker who spotted racist 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 the Gatineau River on Aug. 6 when they spotted a swastika and other Nazi iconography on the small bridge on chemin Riverside in the 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.

Nina Guerra stands on the chemin Riverside bridge on Saturday. Guerra says she spotted racist graffiti beneath the bridge while kayaking earlier this month, but it still hasn't been removed. (Radio-Canada)

"There are many reasons we are doing this. The first is to find out who is actually responsible for hate crimes, and who 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 Giroux with the wider municipality of La Peche, Que., said he only learned 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 does indeed belong 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.

This bridge in Wakefield, Que., is covered in graffiti, including a swastika and other Nazi references. (Radio-Canada)

Nathalie Coutou, the owner of a Wakefield boutique selling Indigenous 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."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Uday Rana

CBC Ottawa reporter

Uday Rana is an Ottawa-based journalist covering city news. Uday has worked as a print, digital and television reporter in India. He was previously with the Times of India and then with CNN-News18. He's covered conflict, sectarian violence and the rise of Hindu Nationalism in India.

    With files from Radio-Canada's Catherine Morasse

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