The Kelowna Right to Life Society’s pro-life billboard on Highway 97 in Kelowna has been vandalized again.
It is the third time in less than a month the board has been attacked, this time just one day after black swastikas were cleaned off the sign from a previous attack.
The society’s executive director Marlon Bartram said it’s obvious the billboard’s message has struck a nerve.
“In our community, an untold number of people have been complicit or complacent in a past abortion. They are hurting deeply. Unfortunately, at times they can act out in destructive ways directed at anyone or anything that triggers their repressed pain and grief. This is one possible explanation for the re-occurring vandalism of our property,” Bartram said.
The society also received some backup in the form of an email message from Mayor Colin Basran which stated: “I don’t condone vandalism and I feel that any acts of vandalism are a tarnish on our community, including the damage to your billboard along Highway 97.”
The society has quickly cleaned up the latest destruction and has now installed on-sight video surveillance.
“Itis a sad statement on the value society places on freedom of speech when we need security measures to protect this most fundamental right, yet here we are,” Bartram said.
