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City council candidate for Waverley West, Nafiya Naso’s campaign signs were up for only three days before more than a dozen were vandalized with derogatory remarks.
“It’s disappointing because this is where I live,” said Naso, who is running for city council for the first time.
“It’s right in my backyard and it’s right across from the elementary school — this is a very busy intersection, we have parks nearby, so it’s very disappointing,” she said.
Several of Naso’s billboards along Waverley Street across from École South Pointe School had the words “Loser” and “UR not winning” scrawled across them on Saturday.
Naso reported the graffiti to Winnipeg police and issued a press release about it on Saturday.
“This is bigger than a campaign sign,” she said in the release. “People are free to disagree with me, my campaign or my political views — that is democracy. But when 16 signs are specifically targeted with derogatory graffiti, right across from an elementary school, it is deeply concerning.”
Nafiya Naso, city council candidate for Waverley West, says 16 of her campaign signs were vandalized with blue spray paint on Saturday. (Rudi Pawlychyn/CBC)
The area was recently targeted with a rash of hateful graffiti scrawled all over Eaglewood Park in the Prairie Pointe neighbourhood earlier this month.
The parks were tagged with messages using homophobic slurs, targeting India and repeating the symbol “3LK.”
According to the release, the graffiti appears to be the same tag that has been seen then and repeatedly in Waverley West over the past two years.
CBC has asked Winnipeg police for comment.
“The fact that Naso’s campaign signs were specifically targeted is deeply troubling raises serious concerns about intimidation, racism and the environment we create for people participating in our democratic process,” said the release.
Jasmine Brar, another of the five candidates running to become city councillor in Waverley West, said several of her campaign signs were also vandalized, agreeing the graffiti resembles what was seen earlier this month, particularly the “3LK” symbol.
One of Jasmine Brar’s campaign signs was spray painted over on Saturday morning with similar graffiti that was spray painted on fellow Waverly West candidate Nafiya Naso’s signs. (Submitted by Jasmine Brar)
“This is not safe, our community doesn’t feel safe — I don’t feel safe as a candidate,” said Brar.
“No matter which sign get vandalized, whether it is mine or somebody else’s, it is completely wrong, and we have to let those people know who are doing this over and over again that this is not acceptable,” she said.
Naso is asking anyone who witnessed the vandalism or has video or other information to contact police.
Waverley West council candidate Nafiya Naso wants anyone with video footage or information about those responsible for defacing campaign signs to contact the City of Winnipeg Police. (Rudi Pawlychyn/CBC)
The release said the damaged signs will be replaced.
“This election should be about ideas, leadership and the future of our ward and city — not whether someone feels safe putting up a campaign sign,” Naso said. “We can disagree politically and still treat one another with dignity and respect.”
Five candidates have registered to run in the race to lead Waverley West— Uche Nwankwo, Yuanchao Li and Antar Banik as well as Brar and Naso.
Incumbent Janice Lukes is not seeking re-election. Election day is Oct. 28.