'It's an insult': Defaced war memorial in Montreal leaves visitors shocked on Remembrance Day

Just as Remembrance Day ceremonies got underway Saturday morning, a war memorial was defaced in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent.

Berj Merdjanisaw the red graffiti, that said "F--k war" and "F--k the army" in French, as he was entering his photography studioacross the street from Beaudet Park.

It was about 8:30 a.m. ET and Merdjani called the city right away. Hefearedthe writings would still be there as people arrived to pay their respects at 11 a.m., just as he's watched them do for the past 35 years.

The words especially stung on Remembrance Day.

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"For me, it's too sad," said Merdjani, whose great-grandparents were killed in the Armenian Genocide. "This is embarrassing.It's an insult."

City workers showed up and promptly removedthe defacement.Montreal police say theyhave launched an investigation.

Visitors stunned

But some visitors had come to the park early, Merdjani said, and left dismayed.

"Another lady came, she just stopped the car and went right there and she was stunned," said Merdjani, who is also the president of the local business association,Zone Dcarie Nord.

"I said, 'Are you OK?' and she couldn'tsay anything. That's what was shockingMy reaction was, it was like in my stomachI felt bad."

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Merdjanisaid he's happy the city took action so quickly, but he wants to make sure people understand what kind of impact the defacementcan have.

"It's wrong. They're welcome to express their views, but not like this," he said.

"Imagine, soldiers' parentsthey see this, how are they going to feel?"

A silver lining

Merdjani saw a silver lining. Some of those who hadinitially left when they saw the graffiti came backlater.

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The middle-aged woman he'd spoken to returned, this time with a friend, and aman he'd seen leave upset came backaround 1:30 p.m.

"He was smiling that it was clean. He waved to me from afar and he left," Merdjanisaid."It was a good gesture."