Gay Newspaper Boxes Vandalized in Vancouver

Police in Vancouver, Canada, are investigating the possibility of hate-motivated vandalism following damage to distribution boxes for the gay Canadian newspaper Xtra.


According to The Globe and Mail, no other publication boxes were vandalized, and a police spokeswoman said the damage against Xtra looks “targeted.”

“She said police are hoping surveillance video will provide some clues,” reported The Globe and Mail. “The newspaper boxes were primarily damaged in the city’s downtown core between Dec. 25 and Dec. 29. In most of the cases, the glass door was smashed.”

A senior manager for the newspaper said the vandalism would cost the free publication about $3,000. Xtra boxes were targeted in Ottawa in 2006 at a cost of more than $10,000.