Vandalism, in the form of graffiti scrawled on the fountain stones at Gage Park on Wednesday, are reviving speculation about the possibility of some kind of anarchist insurgency in the city.
The graffiti, in black, says: "Still hate: Capitalism Colonization Police." The scrawl also includes the anarchist symbol, a circle with an A in it and the crosspiece of the A going through the letter and the circle.
The incident, which has set off a chain of remarks on the social news aggregator Reddit and on other social media, comes not quite three months after the early March smashing of windows and setting off of firecrackers on Locke Street South, attributed to a group of black-clad, masked anti-gentrification protesters. They held a "We Are The Ungovernable" sign and were subsequently investigated for possible links to anarchism and anarchist groups.
Hamilton police were at Gage Park on Wednesday morning after getting a call from city staff about the "anarchist-themed" graffiti, said media relations officer Lorraine Edwards.
Edwards said two areas of the park were affected — one being the central fountain stairs, which had been spray-painted with the words, and two anarchist symbols.
Washrooms nearby also had an anarchist symbol and graffiti that said "Stoney Creek Rent Strike" and some profanity, added Edwards.
"We took pictures," she said. "We don't have suspects or witnesses.
"It's in a concealed area of trees and bushes ... (the culprits) would have been able to approach under the cover of trees, darkness and bushes."
However, the matter has been forwarded to the police hate crime unit for review, Edwards said.
Jasmine Graham, communications officer with the city's public works department, said the city would clean up the graffiti within 24 hours but did not say how much it would cost.