The wall of a Jewish cemetery near the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland was adorned with hook boxes and other Nazi symbols over the weekend, leading local officials to condemn the vandalism and promising to crack down on those responsible.
Janusz Chwierut, the mayor of Oświęcim, as the city is known in Poland, on Sunday condemned the “fascist symbols” and called on local law enforcers to find and prosecute the culprits.
“Auschwitz is a place where such acts will always be condemned,” Chwierut wrote in a statement.
“Auschwitz is also a symbol of the centuries-old coexistence of the Jewish and Christian communities, and the inhabitants of Auschwitz before the war were buried in the Jewish cemetery. Such actions undermine our common memory.”
According to the Auschwitz Museum, the symbols were quickly removed after they were found, making the incident ‘painful’ in a tweet that included photos of the graffiti. The cemetery is maintained by the Auschwitz Jewish Center and members of the community. The city was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1939 and 1945.
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A police officer noticed the vandalism on Sunday morning, local police said in a statement to NBC News. No suspects have been identified yet. Offenders could face up to 10 years in prison, according to the police spokesman, for the combined offenses of promoting fascist content and damaging a historic monument.
This vandalism comes after an alleged increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Germany and hate crimes around the world. A man was injured during a Hanukkah service in Kentucky last month and two were killed in an attack on a synagogue in the eastern German city of Halle in 2019.
“We must continue to fight against all forms of hatred,” the Auschwitz Museum wrote.
