An arrest has been made after a park in Riverview was graffitied with antisemitic symbols over the summer.
Codiac RCMP were called on June 12 to a report of mischief and vandalism at a children’s park in Riverview.
Mayor Andrew LeBlanc confirmed at the time that the vandalism took place at the Rebecca Schofield All World Super Play Park at Frank L. Bowser Elementary School.
Police said Tuesday an individual had spray painted graffiti all over a wooden play structure.
“Through a subsequent investigation, police were able to identify a person of interest in connection with the incident,” police said.
Mounties said a 19-year-old Moncton man was arrested on Oct. 22 in connection with the vandalism.
He will appear in court at a later date.
The incident in June wasn’t the first time the park, named after a Riverview teen who died of brain cancer, was vandalized.
Vandals sprayed the play structure with graffiti in 2022, and has been the backdrop of late-night parties and even been used as a public washroom.
Neither police nor LeBlanc confirmed the type of graffiti, but the mayor said it wasn’t the average petty prank.
“This was a hate crime,” he said in June, noting the incident had “shaken and deeply disturbed” the town’s Jewish community.
“Let me be clear that antisemitism, and any form of racism or discrimination, has no place here in Riverview.
“May love continue to speak louder than hate. Let us be inspired by Rebecca’s message in this time of hurt and disbelief, “[kindness and positivity] are a choice, and it’s not one you make once — it’s a choice you make every day.”