Ottawa police investigating potential 'hate-motivated' event against Rolling Thunder protest

Ottawa police are investigating a "hate-motivated mischief" incident at a church in Vanier, Ontario. Graffiti was discovered three hours before a church service was being held as a part of the "Rolling Thunder" freedom rally that rode into the capital this weekend.

Colton Praili of CTV News reports that graffiti on the building read "no haven for fascism" on its walls. Additionally, thumb tacks were discovered in the parking lot of the church.

The tacks were cleaned up at around 9:30 am by church members.

"It's extremely insulting," Kimberley McGrath told The Canadian Press. "I had to let it brush off my shoulders, but for a lot of people it is traumatizing and it's hurtful."

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said that the graffiti was "not acceptable," saying that "The defacing of any public property, particularly a church, is just reprehensible."

"If there's camera footage and we can identify them then obviously the police will charge them with vandalism and potentially a hate crime," he said to CTV News.

The church service was held by the bikers as the final scheduled event of the Rolling Thunder protest.

Interim police chief Steve Bell told CTV News that there were no reports of vandalism over the weekend, and that there were no reports of injuries.