The Anne Frank statue in Amsterdam was defaced with graffiti reading “Gaza,” triggering strong condemnation from Mayor Femke Halsema. The vandalism, discovered with red paint across the statue’s podium in a park near where Frank and her family lived before being forced into hiding, sparked outrage for its disrespect towards Anne Frank’s memory, CNN reported.
Mayor Femke Halsema fiercely condemned the defacing of the memorial, saying, “No Palestinian has been helped by smearing her so precious statue.”
“This young girl, who was so brutally murdered by the Nazis at the age of 15, reminds us and our city every day of humanity and gentleness, in the most difficult circumstances,” Halsema posted on Instagram.
“Whoever it was, shame on you! There is no excuse for this,” she added.
Amsterdam police have initiated an investigation into the vandalism, though as of now, no arrests have been made.
According to a police spokesperson quoted by CNN, officers responded to a report of vandalism on Tuesday afternoon and immediately began their inquiries upon discovering the graffiti on the Anne Frank statue’s podium.
Anne Frank’s diary serves as a crucial introduction for many young people to the atrocities of the Holocaust. In 1944, Anne Frank and seven others were discovered in hiding in Amsterdam’s secret annex after nearly two years. They were subsequently deported, and Anne tragically died at the Bergen Belsen concentration camp at the age of 15.
Mayor Femke Halsema fiercely condemned the defacing of the memorial, saying, “No Palestinian has been helped by smearing her so precious statue.”
“This young girl, who was so brutally murdered by the Nazis at the age of 15, reminds us and our city every day of humanity and gentleness, in the most difficult circumstances,” Halsema posted on Instagram.
“Whoever it was, shame on you! There is no excuse for this,” she added.
Amsterdam police have initiated an investigation into the vandalism, though as of now, no arrests have been made.
According to a police spokesperson quoted by CNN, officers responded to a report of vandalism on Tuesday afternoon and immediately began their inquiries upon discovering the graffiti on the Anne Frank statue’s podium.
Anne Frank’s diary serves as a crucial introduction for many young people to the atrocities of the Holocaust. In 1944, Anne Frank and seven others were discovered in hiding in Amsterdam’s secret annex after nearly two years. They were subsequently deported, and Anne tragically died at the Bergen Belsen concentration camp at the age of 15.
