‘It disgusts me to my core’: Swastika and profanity laced hate message spray painted on iconic Market Tower building

It’s located at Dundas and Richmond Streets in the traditional heart of London’s Downtown.

But the iconic market tower has now been defaced with hate-graffiti targeted at the building’s Jewish owners.

“It disgusts me to my core,” said Ben Farhi, an executive at Farhi Holdings and the son of Shmuel Farhi, the firm’s founder and well-known property owner.

“You know, I live downtown,” added Ben. “Maybe it’s a reflection of the state of our downtown, which has been in a steep decline over the last five to ten years. But it’s something that makes me… it makes me shiver and it makes me want to not live here anymore to be honest with you.”

A swastika has been spray painted in grey on a piece of public art at the side of the building on Richmond Street. A profanity-laced message had been spray painted next to the hate symbol, mentioning Farhi by name.

“It disgusts me to my core,” Ben told CTV News.

Ben said he believes it happened Friday, in broad daylight.

He was notified by a local Jewish organization, which sent him pictures.

“It was something that happened [Friday] at some point because it wasn’t there this morning. And at the end of the day this is one of several occasions this has happened on our properties,” said Ben.

Ben said police have been contacted. Investigators were on the scene Friday evening.

London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis also expressed his disgust at the ugly discovery.

He said the hate graffiti comes at a time when the city embarks on a campaign of inclusiveness in wake of the two year anniversary of the alleged hate-motivated attack on the Afzaal family.

“We have put so much time and energy into being a more inclusive community,” said Lewis. “And it doesn’t matter whether it’s for the Muslim community, for the LGBTQ2+ community, for anybody who calls this community home. That kind of [symbolism] has no place in 21st century Canada.”

In the meantime, Ben Farhi said they’ve been asked to wipe the graffiti down or paint over it.

But he said he wants to leave it up for a couple of days so people are made aware of the hatred that some in the community still face.

“I think a picture speaks a thousand words and I think if people see it up there it might stop them in their tracks and say ‘wow this is actually still happening in my city? In my country?’”