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Vancouver police search for men who spat on and spray-painted Chinese consulate

  • Police seek help to identify two suspects behind separate ‘disrespectful and intolerable acts’ against the consulate
  • In one incident a man spat on the consulate’s name plate then obstructed an employee; 13 days later a different man sprayed graffiti on the front gates

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A man blocks the car of an employee of the Chinese consulate in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 22. The suspect then spit on the employee’s car and berated him, police said. Photo: VPD
Ian Youngin Vancouver

Police in Vancouver, British Columbia, are investigating two acts of mischief against the city’s Chinese consulate general: one in which a man spat on the mission’s name plaque then obstructed an employee, and a second incident when a different man spray-painted graffiti on the front gate.

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“These are such disrespectful and intolerable acts,” said Constable Tania Visintin of the Vancouver Police Department.

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Men who spat on and spray-painted Chinese consulate hunted by Vancouver police

Men who spat on and spray-painted Chinese consulate hunted by Vancouver police

The VPD released video and photographs of the incidents on Friday, as it sought help from the public to identify the culprits.

On March 22, police said, a man parked a dark Ford Escape in front of the consulate near Granville Street and West 16th Avenue.

“He approached the front gate and spat on the plaque dedicated to the Chinese consulate general. He then threw an unknown white substance from a take-out cup on the same plaque,” the VPD said in a statement. “The suspect then used a hammer to hit and attempt to pry the plaque off the wall.”

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A still from a video released by Vancouver police shows a man spitting on the name plaque of the Chinese consulate on March 22. He then threw an unknown white substance from a take-out cup on the plaque and used a hammer to hit and attempt to pry the plaque off the wall. Photo: VPD
A still from a video released by Vancouver police shows a man spitting on the name plaque of the Chinese consulate on March 22. He then threw an unknown white substance from a take-out cup on the plaque and used a hammer to hit and attempt to pry the plaque off the wall. Photo: VPD

The man then turned his attention to an employee of the consulate who was driving out of the compound. “The suspect blocked them and spat on the vehicle while verbally berating the driver,” VPD said.

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