Calgary police investigating after Confederate flag hung up at Union Cemetery
Posted Mar 16, 2021 9:03 pm.
Last Updated Mar 17, 2021 4:39 pm.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — The Calgary Police Hate Crimes Unit is investigating after a confederate flag was seen flying at Reader Rock Garden in Calgary’s southeast.
A photo was shared on Twitter Tuesday evening showing the flag hung up at the park near Macleod Trail and the Elbow River.
https://twitter.com/gccarra/status/1371986751623815170
Once officers arrived on scene, the flag had been taken down and placed in a nearby garbage bin.
Police say while the display of a Confederate flag is not a crime, it’s believed there was another flag on the flagpole that was removed so the offensive flag could be raised.
“There are often times where symbols make people in the community feel like they are being targeted for ill treatment or excluded from society,” said Acting Detective Craig Collins, Hate Crimes Coordinator with the Calgary Police Service in a statement on Wednesday. “While we can’t legally stop people from displaying these symbols, we can address it if people are committing crimes in the process.”
“Even if no crime has been committed, we still want this kind of thing to be reported so it can be recorded as a hate incident, both to acknowledge the impact on the community and allow us to monitor any patterns or trends,” added Det. Collins.
