Vandalized genocide monument leads to charges for teen boy in Brampton

Police have charged a 14-year-old boy after a monument honouring victims of the Sri Lankan civil war was defaced again in Brampton.

Peel Regional Police say the Tamil Genocide Monument in Chinguacousy Park was damaged and spray-painted with graffiti early last Friday, marking at least the third incident of vandalism at the site since its unveiling less than a year ago.

Peel police’s Hate Crime unit was called in to investigate, and now say a 14-year-old boy from Brampton has been arrested on Tuesday and charged with two counts of mischief over $5,000.

The youth will be required to attend before the Ontario Court of Justice at a later date, and his name cannot be disclosed due to a general provision of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

READ MORE: Vandals strike again at a memorial monument in Brampton

Between 80,000 to 100,000 people were killed in the decades-long conflict with both the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam accused of atrocities. The Tamil Tigers group was listed as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government in 2006.

The controversial monument has faced criticism from the Sri Lankan government, with that country’s Consul General in Toronto sending a letter to the city calling for the project to be scrapped.

Mayor Patrick Brown said in 2024 that he’d told Canada’s spy agency about alleged attempts at “foreign interference” in Brampton being carried out by the Sri Lanka High Commission.

Anyone with information about this incident can contact Peel Regional Police by calling 905-453-3311. Anonymous tips may also be provided to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477 or visiting www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

When you contact Crime Stoppers you stay anonymous, never have to testify, and could receive a $2,000 reward.