A southeast Calgary couple feels targeted because of their German heritage after their Christmas display was vandalized with a hate symbol Saturday night (Dec. 14, 2024).
Christian Fruhen and his wife Silvana Stoesser said they arrived at their Deer Run home shortly after 10 p.m. after a Christmas party and found one of their inflatable boats had been spray painted with a red swastika.
“Being a German with a symbol like this is incredible,” Stoesser said through tears.
“You know what (the swastika) has done to so many people and to see this is just terrible,” she added.
A Christmas decoration featuring a swastika was vandalized outside a home in southeast Calgary.
Craig Momney / Global News
The couple has set up their Christmas display – which includes dozens of inflatables – over the past decade, allowing families in Deer Run and surrounding communities to get into the Christmas spirit, take photos and share donations for the Calgary Food Bank.
They say the exhibit has been vandalized before, with a few of the inflatables cut with a knife, but they have never had a swastika painted on their property.
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“There is no way we can accept this and there is no excuse, no excuse for doing things like this,” Fruhen said.
An inflatable shown sewn after being cut with a knife.
Craig Momney / Global News
Fruhen posted the act of vandalism on the community’s Facebook group page.
A community member who wished to remain anonymous saw the post and purchased an exact replacement for the couple, dropping the inflatable polar bear at their doorstep Sunday morning.
“This lady was offering to buy a new one. I didn’t have time to respond and there was already a new box in front of the front door,” Fruhen said.
A Calgary police spokesperson told Global News that if arrested, the person(s) responsible could face a spray painting charge punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 . They said the case could also result in a hate crime investigation.
“For me – as a German and for my history – it is zero acceptance and zero tolerance. It’s a crime,” Fruhen said.
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