A man who hangs Canadian flags proudly outside his Victoria home every Canada Day was dismayed to find that his display had been vandalized, according to CTV News.
His neighbours join him in his display of patriotic pride, but this year, of the 18 flags that were put out over two properties, 15 had been defaced.
"I feel so lucky to have been born and raised in Canada," Jim Pungente said. "We're so blessed to be here. I'm proud to be Canadian, so I put those flags out every year."
Pungente discovered that the iconic maple leaves on the flags were crossed out in black with spray paint. Some of the flags were spray painted with messages saying "you are on native land."
Pungente believes the vandalism was an act of "angry kids" and that rebellion was a motivation. Though he says he knows there are "underlying causes" to Canada's troubles with regard to relations with First Nations and Indigenous people, he has hope for Canada's future, that lies in better teaching of the nation's past.
He replaced the vandalized flags with clean ones, and noted that he's "got more flags than they've got black paint."
