Quebec Premier Jean Charest said Tuesday it “saddens” him to know that a family gravestone was one of several that were vandalized recently at a Sherbrooke cemetery.
Police believe a vandal or vandals hit the Saint-Roch cemetery between Aug. 11 and Aug. 14, damaging seven tombstones. Damage included broken crosses on the gravestones and overturned flowers.
A large granite cross that once rested atop a gravestone belonging to Charest’s grandparents and an uncle was toppled over.
During a campaign stop, Charest said he was informed of the vandalism Tuesday morning.
“It saddens me. This is the cemetery where my grandfather and grandmother and one of my uncles is buried, and I’m saddened by it,” Charest told reporters.
“I just can’t explain why people do these things. It’s beyond me. I don’t understand it. I don’t think I could ever understand it.”
Police said the vandalism does not appear to be politically motivated. Charest is seeking re-election in the riding of Sherbrooke, where some polls put him far behind the Parti Quebecois candidate.
Quebec residents go to the polls on Sept. 4.
With files from The Canadian Press and a report from CTV Montreal’s Stephane Giroux
