Former journalist Kinney pleads guilty to vandalism in Edmonton — Jerusalem Post
Former journalist for the left-wing outlet Progress Report, Duncan Kinney, has pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal property damage in a case involving the vandalism of monuments in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. As reported by the Jerusalem Post, sentencing in the case is scheduled for January 25, 2027.
In 2021, the words “Actual Nazi” appeared on a bust of Roman Shukhevych, while the inscriptions “Nazi Monument” and “14th Waffen SS” appeared on a memorial to the SS Galicia Division. Kinney initially pleaded not guilty to two charges: property damage and damage to a war memorial.
Camera footage and a letter to the complex
According to court documents, a surveillance camera recorded Kinney spray-painting the Shukhevych monument shortly after midnight on August 10, 2021. Eight hours later, the camera also recorded him photographing the monument.
Kinney subsequently sent an email to staff at the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex, where the bust is located. In it, he said that Progress Report had received photographs of the damaged monument and asked whether the complex could comment on the incident and whether it considered Shukhevych a Nazi or a Nazi collaborator.
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Kinney had previously claimed that he was being persecuted for criticizing the Edmonton police and that there had been an attempt to silence him. After the court hearing, he and his lawyer, Tom Engel, declined to comment.
Progress Report's reaction
The board of Progress Report condemned the actions of its former employee. It said that committing a crime and then reporting on it as though it had been committed by someone else was a serious breach of journalistic ethics. The statement also noted that Kinney had previously insisted on his innocence.
It is expected that at sentencing, the prosecutor will withdraw the more serious charge of damaging a war memorial. The maximum penalty under that charge is up to 10 years in prison. Representatives of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, B’nai Brith Canada, the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, as well as local politicians and scholars, have for years called for the removal of these monuments.
John-Paul Himka, professor emeritus of history at the University of Alberta, said that monuments should not be erected to people responsible for mass killings. He also noted that memorials to members of the Waffen-SS are being discussed in various countries.
