TORONTO —
Police are investigating after Alexander Shapurko, a Russian immigrant
and shopkeeper, had his store vandalized multiple times over the past
month and targeted with anti-Semitic graffiti.

A swastika, the number 88 – a play on numbers in which 8 substitutes
for its related letter in the alphabet, so “88” means “HH” or “Heil
Hitler” – and the letters “WP,” for “White Power,” were spray-painted
on Alexander Shapurko’s store windows this month.  [Alexander Shapurko
photo]

TORONTO — Police are investigating after Alexander Shapurko,
a Russian immigrant and shopkeeper, had his store vandalized multiple
times over the past month and targeted with anti-Semitic graffiti.

His shop, which specializes in selling Soviet-era collectibles and doubles as his home in back, is located on Oakwood Avenue at Vaughan Road.

In multiple incidents in February, vandals burned a Russian flag on the side of his store, broke his windows and spray-painted swastikas and other neo-Nazi insignias on his building.

Shapurko, who is not Jewish, told The CJN last week he was increasingly afraid for his safety, and that he took pains to scrub off the offending markings in order not to upset his Jewish customers.

After police were called in to investigate, they advised him to install a security system.

Shapurko said that he has since installed two video cameras and a sound recording device in his store, both for his own protection and to help police gather “proof” if there are more attacks.

He described the vandals as caucasian men in their late teens or early twenties, all of whom, when confronted by Shapurko during one attack, shouted, “Heil Hitler” and, “We hate Russians, we hate Jews.”

Shapurko said the last act of vandalism, which occurred in the early morning of Feb. 16, involved one of the  vandals urinating on his shop door. He said neighbours called police, who questioned the men and obtained their names, but did not arrest them on site.

As of last Friday, detectives from Toronto Police Services 13 Division were still investigating the matter, he said.

Calls by The CJNto 13 Division were not returned by deadline.

“Ihope this story helps shed light on these people,” he said. “Because this is not the way we should be in society.”