North Preston campaign signs defaced with racist imagery

To say it’s an unpleasant start to election day is an understatement.

Campaign signs in the Preston-Dartmouth riding have been vandalized by graffiti. Signs for PC candidate Irvine Carvery, NDP candidate Shelley Fashan and Liberal candidate Keith Colwell at the entrance to North Preston have all been spray-painted with racist and Nazi imagery, including a swastika.
https://www.facebook.com/tyler.simmons.33886/posts/10154499955185779

It’s not clear when exactly the signs were defaced, but the vandalism came to light due to a Facebook post by Tyler Simmons on Tuesday afternoon. He says he spotted the signs at 11:30am after he voted.

“A place that once had a sign that read ‘North Preston: the largest Indigenous African-Canadian Community in Canada’ is now vandalize [sic] with white supremacy propaganda,” his post reads. “This is disturbing, disgusting and downright scary.”

Provincial NDP leader Gary Burrill later tweeted about the incident.

Disgusted to hear about signs being defaced in Preston. Nova Scotia’s diversity is our strength.

— Gary Burrill (@GaryBurrill) May 30, 2017

Colwell is the Preston-Dartmouth incumbent, while opposing candidate Carvery has run for political office multiple times. Fashan—a documentary filmmaker and African Nova Scotian Music Association board member—ran for District 2 in the municipal election last year.

Aaron Alexander of the Green Party is also in the Preston-Dartmouth riding.

Carvery and Fashan did not immediately respond to request for comment.