Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller’s office in Montreal was vandalized early Thursday morning.
Montreal police (SPVM) says it has reason to believe the event could be linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
A 911 call was placed early Thursday morning to report the vandalism at Miller’s office on Saint-Jacques Street in Montreal’s Sud-Ouest borough.
Miller is the Member of Parliament for Ville-Marie-Le Sud-Ouest-Île-des-Soeurs and the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
Montreal police confirmed that numerous misdemeanours were committed on the premises, including spray paint, smashed windows, graffiti and damage inside the office.
“We’re, obviously, going to account for all the damage, but we can expect major damage to the building,” said Sabrina Gauthier, a spokesperson with Montreal police.
The force notes there have been many Israel-Hamas-related “demonstrations in recent days and weeks near the building.”
“We’re still waiting for investigators and forensics to analyze the scene and confirm the hypothesis, or invalidate it if it’s wrong,” said Gauthier.
Police say there have been no arrests in the case but the investigation is ongoing, and it will “collaborate with the people who were possibly targeted.”
Miller has been the federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship since last summer.
He has been the MP for Ville-Marie-Le Sud-Ouest-Île-des-Soeurs since 2015.
— This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 18, 2024.