The Kromar Printing building on 725 Portage was recently found to have antisemtic graffiti just before this past Christmas.
Joseph Cohen, Director of Kromar said that Kromar has been at its Portage location since 1976 and “we have never had an antisemitic incident” before this.
The extensive graffiti , including the words “Jews” scrawled over the side of the building was found by employee who lives in the building across from Kromar,” Cohen said.
Cohen also said he did not know if the graffiti was done in the day or the night, but it covered the whole side of the building.
One part of the graffiti said, "No one is perfect. Not even Bin fucking Laden."
Cohen, who reported the incident to police on Sunday afternoon Dec 23 added, “We honestly do not know who would do this.” When asked if he thought this was a random act or a culprit who specifically targeted them, Cohen, said he “not know.”
Cohen also reported the incident immediately to B’nai Brith Canada. He noted that his wife recognized that one of the caricatures drawn appears to have a very large nose. Another one appears to have a cross and a sword, suggesting possibly a crusader. The graffiti is extensive and would appear to have to have taken a long time to do. According to Cohen, the area is lit up twenty four hours seven days a week to ensure safety for employees, but the fact it is lit up did not deter the culprit/s.
The incident occurred less than two days after an article in the Winnipeg Free Press of Dec 21 made it clear to the public that the nasty anti-Semitic posters, that have surfaced downtown have not lead to any arrests or charges. One of those posters referenced Adolf Hitler and another the Final solution. [To read the article in the Winnipeg Free Press entitled “Arrests Lacking for Hate Posters, go to:
In that article, it was reported that “while a man has told the Free Press he's responsible for them [the posters], police have made no arrests and no charges are before the courts.”
The laying of hate crime charges in regard to the anti-Semitic posters requires the consent of the Attorney General, such that even when police can identify the culprit, nothing will be done unless the Attorney General consents to the prosecution.
“This case involving graffiti on the Kromar building, would be different in that the consent of the Attorney general is not needed. If the culprit/s were identified then the case could be prosecuted as damage to property,” (mischief),” said Matas.
Two days before this graffiti on the Kromar building was found, the article in the Winnipeg Free Press of Dec 21, 2012 dealt specifically with the subject of graffiti. Sargeant Harold Shlamp, hate crimes co-ordinator of the Winnipeg Police Services is quoted as follows in the Winnipeg Free Press:
“The majority of incidents flagged as being hate crimes are graffiti-related, he [Sargeant Shlamp] said, such as tagging of swastikas, racial slurs or references to the Ku Klux Klan.”
Schlamp wrote in an email to the Free Press earlier in 2012:
"Mischief offences are difficult to successfully prosecute as the offences are usually done in solitude and cover of darkness, with few if any witnesses, and little to no evidence to continue the.
David Matas, senior honourary counsel of B’nai Brith Canada says that he has no idea who defaced the Kromar building, or whether it was “a copy cat” incident committed by someone who was encouraged on reading that no one has been charged in regard to the antisemitic posters.
The latest incident at Kromar involving graffiti also follows another incident of chalk graffiti on the sidewalk of the Gray Academy at the Asper Building, which occurred in the fall, but was reported for the first time in this publication. To date, there has been no culprit found and charged for that incident.
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