A brand new Toronto public school was just defaced with anti-vaccine mandate graffiti. It's only been open since last year, but that didn't deter the culprit from spraypainting slogans on the exterior of the TDSB's shared Davisville Junior Public School/Spectrum Alternative School building in Midtown.

This vandalism of the city's newest public school — funded through the taxes of pro-and anti-mandate citizens alike — saw the phrases "respect the charter of rights," as well as "freedom" painted on the exterior of the 2021-completed building.

Seeing a spraypainted wall in Toronto is nothing earth-shattering, but it's the building's brand-new status, public funding, the fact that this is a place for children to learn, and the tone of the message painted on the wall that all combine to make this situation a bit more complicated.

Toronto school demolished over objections has been replaced with something less exciting https://t.co/4YovLVNIuL #Toronto

— blogTO (@blogTO) August 17, 2021

Local Ward 12 city councillor Josh Matlow has spoken out condemning the defacing of the school, stating that while "Canadians have the right to protest," he views this particular act as "deplorable" and "just an awful thing to do."

Canadians have the right to protest. And it should be done rationally and respectfully. But to do it by vandalizing our kid’s elementary school is just deplorable behavior. No matter the cause, or reason. It’s just an awful thing to do. pic.twitter.com/51XugvRFyy

— Josh Matlow (@JoshMatlow) February 2, 2022

The irony of spraypainting a law onto a wall, breaking another law in the process, may have been lost to the perpetrator, but one commenter was quick to point out the unintentionally comedic element of the crime.

Others are taking this incident more seriously and calling for police intervention, though Toronto Police have confirmed to blogTO that there is "no police report on file for Davisville Public School or the address 50 Davisville Avenue."

At what point will the police step in. Seriously they are trained to hold the peace and when it comes to our children this type of disgusting behaviour by these protesters needs to be dealt with and arrests made. It's pathetic the police have really don't nothing.

— kelley proctor (@13familyislove) February 2, 2022

Among the responses to the councillor's tweet condemning the vandalism, one person suggests that these scribbled messages can be found all over the city, including many spotted during recent protests fighting vaccination and lockdown mandates.

Others suggest these activists better familiarize themselves with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms they so often quote.

It's a problem popping up elsewhere in the province, including a recent Dec. 2021 incident at the home of a St. Catharines city councillor, where even more aggressively-worded graffiti was discovered.