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Vandals target Jewish Conservative candidate with antisemitic graffiti

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A Jewish politician in Winnipeg has been targeted in a graffiti spree in which his federal election campaign signs were vandalized with antisemitic imagery.

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A Jewish politician in Winnipeg has been targeted in a graffiti spree in which his federal election campaign signs were vandalized with antisemitic imagery.

At least six signs and two bus benches advertising incumbent Conservative party MP Marty Morantz were damaged in the Tuxedo neighbourhood. In some instances, a vandal used black paint to deface photos of Morantz in an attempt to make him resemble Adolf Hitler.

“I’m disgusted, but I’m trying not to let it rattle me too much,” Morantz told the Free Press Monday.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / FREE PRESS FILES
                                Marty Morantz said he will not be intimidated by those who traffic in hate.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / FREE PRESS FILES

Marty Morantz said he will not be intimidated by those who traffic in hate.

“I will not be intimidated by those who traffic in hate. I’ve lived in this neighbourhood for decades with my family, just a few blocks away from where this happened.”

Most of the vandalism occurred over three blocks along Corydon Avenue between Park Boulevard North and Grenfell Boulevard. Other signs were damaged at Grant Avenue and Park Boulevard West, said Michael Kowalson, Morantz’s campaign manager.

It is believed the incidents happened sometime after 5 p.m. Sunday, Kowalson said, adding he believes the same person or people were involved in all instances because the writing and general theme of the graffiti was consistent.

The vandalism included painting a toothbrush-style mustache and comb-over haircut onto Morantz’s face in the photos. Some of the graffiti used the words “traitor” and “con man” and a pejorative term for people with intellectual disabilities.

“We’re all a little shocked that, in our own neighbourhood, we are being attacked for being Jews. It’s scary. I’ve been involved in campaigns in Conservative politics for 30 years and I’ve never seen an antisemitic attack on a candidate,” Kowalson said.

Some of the signs were affixed to fences owned by Jewish constituents, Morantz said.

Kowalson said he reported the graffiti to city police Monday morning. Officers from the hate crimes unit responded within 20 minutes and launched an investigation.

“I’m disgusted, but I’m trying not to let it rattle me too much.”–Marty Morantz

“As you can imagine, many, many, many people have contacted us this morning, very upset. To me, there is no coincidence that it’s a neighbourhood where a lot of Jewish Winnipeggers live,” he said.

In a news release Monday morning, the Winnipeg Police Service confirmed it is investigating reports of graffiti in the Tuxedo neighbourhood. WPS spokesman Const. Pat Saydak declined to provide further details when contacted by the Free Press.

Kowalson said campaign volunteers removed the vandalized signs as soon as police permitted. The damaged bus benches will be addressed by the advertising company that owns them.

The graffiti did not stop Morantz from campaigning. He continued knocking on constituents’ doors throughout the morning and afternoon, making the most of the remaining week before the April 28 election, he said.

“I wouldn’t let this sidetrack me. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of thinking that somehow they had taken me off doors or made me focus less on talking with voters,” he said.

Liberal candidate Dr. Doug Eyolfson, who is running against Morantz in the Winnipeg West riding, condemned the graffiti spree in a statement.

“Attacking a political candidate because of their faith is deplorable.”–Doug Eyolfson

“Attacking a political candidate because of their faith is deplorable,” Eyolfson said.

“This cannot be how we conduct ourselves when we disagree with a candidate’s platform. Antisemitism seeks to divide us, but we are stronger when we embrace each other’s differences. Canada’s strength lies in its diversity. There is no room for hate in politics; I know Winnipeg West is better than this.”

Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood city councillor Evan Duncan joined his fellow politicians in their outrage, calling the crimes “absolutely disgusting.”

Duncan, who ran against Morantz in the 2014 municipal election, described him as “a good human being” and Jewish advocate.

“It’s an embarrassment for the community to have this going on,” Duncan said.

The councillor referenced other recent instances in which antisemitic graffiti has been plastered in Winnipeg, including a case in the Westdale neighbourhood that resulted in a raft of charges against a 19-year-old man.

“It’s an embarrassment for the community to have this going on.”–Evan Duncan

Avrom Charach, a Jewish Winnipegger who removes graffiti, said he has removed up to 20 antisemitic messages in recent weeks, and knows of at least four other locations he has yet to address.

Most of the recent graffiti included the words “F—k Israel,” he said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle

Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.

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Updated on Monday, April 21, 2025 5:10 PM CDT: Adds details, quotes, photo

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