Council candidate not fazed by ‘disturbing’ vandalism

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — A candidate in Calgary’s municipal election is not deterred after one of his signs was vandalized last week in the northeast.

A racial slur and a swastika were scrawled on a sign belonging to Ward 5 candidate Aryan Sadat while it sat at the corner of Falconridge Blvd. and Taradale Dr.

Sadat said when he first heard about it he didn’t believe it was real.

“I thought it was someone just making that up, and then it’s just very unfortunate that we’re still being attacked as an ethnic minority,” he told 660 NEWS.

He added that another fellow candidate’s sign was also vandalized in the area, and police are investigating. In addition, he said one of his signs was also vandalized during the previous municipal elections.

Even after these incidents, Sadat said that this is still a rare thing to happen and he isn’t angry about it.

https://twitter.com/Aryan_Sadat/status/1427364656499216392?s=20

“I don’t believe that’s a majority, I think it’s just odd people that need to be educated and we need to help them move forward with our Canadian values,” Sadat said. “We should work together and stand tall against any such misbehaviour or racist activity by any individuals.”

The fact it was at such a major intersection is also a point of concern for Sadat.

“It’s very disturbing to see such incidents on a main road,” he said. “We should raise awareness for such activity.”

He is urging anyone who has any information about this vandalism — or witnesses any other acts of racism — to contact Calgary police.

Sadat said he wants to connect with community groups and other stakeholders to try and identify new ways to combat racism like this, and he said it is also too early to say if this will become a more regular problem during the election.