A swastika was spray-painted on the side wall of a Red Deer church overnight on Monday.
Kentwood Alliance Church pastor Garrett Gillespie said security cameras showed several youths spray painting the offensive symbol, used by Nazis during the Second World War, on the side of the church.
As well the exterior wall was tagged with some vulgar symbols and the sentence “we love gay sex.”
Gillespie admitted the latter could be a dig at church policies regarding homosexuality, but he said, “we’re not interested in making it a big deal.”
He believes the vandalism was done by teenagers who were up to no good, and who, given the chance, would deface any building in the neighbourhood.
Several vandals were caught on camera, arriving and leaving in a vehicle. But Garrett said the license plate wasn’t visible, and the youths were not identifiable. Although the incident was reported to police, he believes finding the suspects will be a long shot.
The last time the Kentwood Alliance Church was vandalized with spray paint was seven to 10 years ago, he added.
Several other local churches were also defaced with graffiti over the years. A local crime prevention official previously stated that large walls can sometimes attract spray-paint vandals.