China Accuses Canadians of ‘Conniving Vandalism’ at Embassy

Canadian government officials have failed to adequately discourage vandalism at the Chinese Embassy in Canada, the Global Times, a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece, alleged Friday.

“Canadian authorities have been conniving at vandalism and provocative actions targeting the compound of the Chinese Embassy in Canada, despite China’s repeated solemn representation on this matter,” the Global Times claimed, citing “sources close to the issue.”

“Since last year, the Chinese Embassy in Canada has been frequently attacked by unidentified people, who vandalized the building, spraying anti-China slogans on the outer walls of the embassy,” the newspaper further alleged, citing the same sources.

“They [the sources] also revealed that anti-China forces have long been kicking up troubles in front of the embassy, including displaying banners denouncing China and staging protests against China,” according to the CCP mouthpiece.

“Those incidents have severely damaged China’s dignity and image, and thus have propelled the Chinese side’s repeated solemn representation to the Canadian side. However, Canada has taken no effective measure to prevent such incidents and even acquiesced those anti-China forces’ behaviors,” the newspaper claimed.

Canada’s Chinese Embassy is located in the city of Ottawa in the eastern province of Ontario. The Global Times referred to both the “Chinese Embassy in Canada” and also the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Calgary, located in the western province of Alberta.

“Last May, the outer walls of the office of the Chinese Consulate General in Calgary, Canada, were defaced with a hateful message saying ‘China virus,'” the CCP newspaper recalled. “A spokesperson from the Consulate General told Canadian media that the graffiti’s message is an ‘act of hatred’ and urged Canadian authorities to investigate the matter.”

Canadian authorities did investigate the incident of alleged vandalism at the Chinese Consulate General in Calgary, which took place on May 27, 2020. A group of vandals allegedly spray-painted graffiti, including the words “F*ck the China Virus,” onto an outer wall of the consulate building.

“Three people dressed in black and wearing masks approached the building on Sixth Avenue S.W. at 3:30 a.m., and spray-painted a vulgar message before leaving,” Calgary police said in a statement.

“It was the second time this month the consulate has been targeted with graffiti. Another message was spray-painted in front of the building on May 19,” the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported on May 27.

“The Chinese Consulate General turned over surveillance video captured by closed-circuit TV to police, who have released images of the suspects,” the CBC reported. Calgary police said at the time they were investigating the incident as “a possible hate crime.”