Man facing hate charges after Saskatoon churches spray-painted

A 36-year-old man is facing several charges, including hate-based charges, after three more churches were spray-painted in Saskatoon.

650 CKOM has confirmed his name is Amir Bozorgmehr and has a deportation order issued for him. Bozorgmehr is believed to be from Iran, but Crown prosecutor Linh Le says he doesn’t have a passport, and Iran and Canada don’t have diplomatic relations.

Police say Bozorgmehr is the same man who has been charged with spray-painting homophobic slurs on three churches in Saskatoon over the weekend.

Minister Karen Fraser Gitlitz of Saskatoon Unitarians, one of the churches targeted on Wednesday, was told about the homophobic graffiti defacing the church shortly after she woke up.

“It was just distressing,” she said of hearing what had happened. “It hit me in the pit of my stomach. This is really a hard time in the life of our city and we know that people who are feeling marginalized are feeling more so right now, so to have this happen and having people reading this message is awful.”

At around 2:30 Wednesday morning, police were alerted to a man throwing rocks at the police station.

Patrol members found the man outside of headquarters holding rocks. He was arrested without incident and orange spray paint was also found in his possession.

During his arrest, he told officers he had also just spray-painted three churches.

Police went to the churches in the 200 block of Second Street East, the 600 block of Dufferin Avenue, and the 600 block of Avenue I South.

Spray paint was found on all three buildings. Each act of vandalism referenced “sodomites” and repentance.

Having this happen during the COVID-19 pandemic is an added level of stress for Fraser Gitlitz, who has the trouble of trying to clean up a tar-like substance used to deface her church. However, wanting some sort of revenge or justice just wouldn’t feel right, she said.

“It’s really important for everyone to know that you are loved,” she said. “Saskatoon is a tolerant and open city. This is just one person’s message, and not to let it in, not to let it affect your day.”

Bishop Chris Harper of Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon said he just had a meeting with clergy on Tuesday night about being on alert after three United churches had the same messages spray painted on their front doors last week.

Just like Fraser Gitlitz, he too woke up to messages telling him one of his churches, St. George’s Anglican Church in the King George neighbourhood, was spray-painted with graffiti.

“Spray paint and tagging is, by my experience, minor,” Harper said. “This is clean up work.”

“All that we pray for is that the individual receives the help they need because this is a definite cry for help.”

Harper understands COVID-19 hasn’t been easy on anyone, and he suspects the current global pandemic might be a factor in the recent attacks on Saskatoon churches.

“In this time of stress under COVID-19, that radicalism and struggles with psychological (issues) is one of those things that become more prevalent,” Harper said. “Unfortunately, this is a reaction to probably the stresses we see in the day and time we’re in right now.”

Bozormehr is facing three charges of committing mischief for reasons of bias, prejudice, or hate based on religion by damaging, without lawful justification or excuse and without colour or right of, property that is primarily used for religious worship under $5,000.

He is also charged with mischief for damage caused to the Saskatoon police headquarters along with breach of conditions.

Since the beginning of May, Bozormehr has been charged with eight counts of mischief, six of which were mischief for reasons of bias, prejudice or hate based on religion.