Confusion over a swastika and a similar Hindu symbol resulted in an investigation by Barrie police this morning.
A reader reached out to BarrieToday on Friday morning about what was thought to be a Nazi swastika symbol they spotted on the hood of a parked car in Barrie’s south end near Essa Road and Mapleview Drive West. They initially thought it appeared to be drawn in blood.
They said they were concerned and felt it should be reported to city police due to its use as an antisemitic hate reference, its ties to Nazi Germany and the party's atrocities during the Second World War.
When asked about the incident, Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon confirmed to BarrieToday that they had received a complaint from a citizen shortly after 9 a.m. on Nov. 17.
“We looked into it. (The symbol) was placed on the vehicle during the Diwali celebrations. Apparently the owner of the car was not aware of the connection," he said. "Our officer made them aware and they immediately removed it.”
Historically, the symbol known as a swastika is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, is also important in Hindu culture and is associated with Diwali. It is also used at entrances or on doorways of homes or temples.
The clockwise swastika, with the upper line pointing right, is the Hindu symbol showing the motion of the sun in India where it appears to enter from the east then setting in the west.
The counterclockwise symbol, known as sauwastika, with the upper line pointing left, is less common and is an icon for the goddess Kali.
Meanwhile, the Nazi version of the swastika is used on angle with the upper line pointing slightly to the right.
Similar symbols are used in a variety of cultures around the world and have been for centuries.
Police say erring on the side of caution in Friday's incident is important to them.
“When we have occurrences like that, given what’s happening in the world today, we do take those occurrences very, very seriously,” Leon said. “We want to make sure that it wasn’t somebody’s vehicle that was a victim of a mischief.”
