Racist Symbols and History

A town in Quebec, Canada is making headlines today because of a publicly displayed anchor with an engraved swastika on it. Some people obviously feel quite strongly that this monument should be removed from the park.

Similar sentiments existed earlier this week with respect to Confederate monuments in the United States, with many arguing that any and all monuments of this nature should be removed.

In the case of the Quebec monument, historians believe that the anchor predates World War II and belongs to a time where the swastika was a symbol for luck.

The anchor was vandalized by an individual who belongs to a graffiti removing group known as "Erasing Hate". However, this was not graffiti, this was a piece of history sanctioned by the city, and charges were laid.

All of us can look back through history and find pages that we wish didn't exist. Like it or not, it is a part of our heritage and it is very important to remember the truth behind historical events.

None of these monuments should be removed or erased. If we delete the truths from our history, we will be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.