Last week, video surfaced on social media of an incident on the night of July 24 in which an American flag was draped over the grave, which is located at the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa. A man was seen in some of the shots. “The man has been identified and interviewed,” the Ottawa Police Service said in an email to CBC News. “He has shown remorse for the incident and police are confident he will not do it again.” The grave and National War Memorial are open to all visitors who want to reflect on the sacrifices of “our military community,” the Department of National Defense told the CBC. However, the site is considered “a symbol of sad tribute that should be respected by all who visit it and not used for messages about any ideological perspective,” the department added. Anita Anand, the national defense minister, tweeted that “the desecration of this monument is unacceptable and shameful.” I am disturbed by yesterday’s events at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The right to protest is something that those honored at the Tomb sacrificed their lives for, yet the desecration of this monument is unacceptable and shameful. — @AnitaAnandMP “It’s very disappointing to see disrespect [there]Yasir Naqvi, the MP for Ottawa Centre, said in a statement sent to CBC News. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides United States flags on caskets or caskets to honor the military service of veterans and reservists, while federal guidelines for displaying the flag in other circumstances say never to let the flag touch anything underneath. The government agency responsible for the site says it is now considering proposals on how to better protect the war memorials in the future after a series of incidents at the site.
The area was patrolled during half the day
The Public Services and Procurement Agency of Canada (PSPC), which is in charge of the site, said the monuments are under 24-hour video surveillance. The July 24 incident was flagged to police after a review of dash cam footage early the next morning. A commissioner also regularly patrols the monuments from 7 pm to 7 am, the agency said. “At this time, we cannot comment on future plans for greater security at the monuments,” the PSPC told CBC News. Daniel Coates, an Ottawa resident who wrote Naqvi with concern about the American flag incident, said the site should be guarded 24 hours a day. “It deserves that kind of protection,” Coates said. “And we’re a big enough country to be able to pull it off.”
17 desecrations in the last 5 years
The American flag incident is not the first time behavior at the memorial has come under scrutiny this year.
During the Freedom Parade demonstrations, a woman danced on the grave. There were also reports of people urinating on the grave, according to the Department of Public Works and Government Services.
Police identified the grave dancing woman but did not charge her, saying she had been spoken to and was remorseful.
In a report tabled last June, Parliament’s Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs said it believed “alternative dispute resolution mechanisms would be more likely to have a positive impact on both deterrence and awareness” than ultimately imposing a fine of up to $1,000 for commission of war crimes memorial.
People hold a vigil in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa on February 3, 2022 amid protests against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and public health restrictions. (Joseph Tunney/CBC)
The committee heard from the Department of Public Works and Government Services that over the past five years, 17 incidents of desecration have been reported at the National War Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the National Aboriginal Veterans Memorial.
Five of those incidents — not including the most recent incident involving the American flag — have occurred since January 28, 2022.
“The limited number of these types of incidents to date may not have warranted a stronger monument-specific plan, but that could change,” according to the commission’s report.
Read the committee’s full report here or at the end of the story.
The commission recommended that the PSPC develop “a response plan specific to federal monuments” and review the “security incident book” to ensure it meets “the needs for potential future mass protests or gatherings.” The PSPC said it is currently considering these recommendations. As for whether “improved signage” should be placed at the site, the committee concluded that “it would be surprising if people who disrespect monuments suddenly feel ashamed of their behavior when they see a sign.”
Fencing in the area is not considered a permanent solution
The standing committee’s report also offers new details on the installation of a fence around the National War Memorial, which proved controversial in early February during the Freedom Parade protests. Following reported desecrations during the protests, the City of Ottawa and the National Capitals Commission asked the PSPC to install a temporary barrier to protect the monuments. It was the first time, other than construction work, that such fencing was placed around the monuments, according to the Department of National Defense. “It’s a shame, in our view, that we have to fence off a monument to protect it,” Stephen Derry, deputy minister for public works and government services, told the committee. “It is also a public space that allows more than a million people to pay their respects to those who gave their lives.” After protesters removed the fencing on Feb. 12, the PSPC decided not to reinstall it because the Ottawa Police Service “feared parts could be used as projectiles,” according to the commission’s report.
