Toronto (January 9, 2019) - Over the past few days, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) has been actively investigating an incident involving an elderly man who had swastikas drawn on his head and body at a long-term care facility in Toronto’s west end.

FSWC has reached out to the man’s nephew – who detailed the horrific experience of going to visit his beloved uncle at Glendale Care Centre only to find him with a large black swastika drawn with permanent black marker on his head. The elderly man suffers from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, according to his nephew. The family is not Jewish.

FSWC also met with staff from Glendale Care Centre who reported that the swastikas were drawn by another resident of the facility who suffers from severe brain damage. FSWC offered to provide training on handling discrimination and hate incidents to Glendale staff.

FSWC has also been actively working with Toronto Police to ensure that there is a thorough investigation into the incident.