Authorities in Ottawa to investigate anti-Islam graffiti at elementary school

Ottawa police have opened now an investigation after an alleged hate crime at an elementary school in Vanier, Canada.

Staff say they arrived at the Islamic School on Baribeau Street before class on Monday to find someone had spray-painted "Go home ISIS," and "Die bombers," on a wall outside the school. Police say they believe the wall was vandalized overnight.

"It's ironic also because our school is a proud Canadian school," said Hassan Mattar, a math and science teacher at the school. "Almost 99 percent of the students are Canadian kids, born in Canada."

Mattar says the children didn't see the graffiti as it was covered with a tarp before they arrived. He calls the incident "unfortunate."

"I explain it to students that unfortunately these people are not educated," he said. "This is something they can use to learn, that this is unacceptable, that hate crime to them, any race, any religion is not accepted."

The Ottawa Police Hate Crime unit says incidents of vandalism are the most common types of hate crime as opposed to more violent offences.