Holocaust memorial in Oviedo, Spain, defaced by vandals

A Holocaust memorial in Oviedo, Spain, has been defaced by vandals who reportedly punctured and scraped the stone and steel structure with a sharp object.

The vandalism in the northern Spanish city was discovered earlier this week.

Oviedo inaugurated the memorial in 2017 to replace another structure that had been situated in a well-known park in the city but had been targeted by far-right groups.

In 2017, the Spanish city inaugurated the Holocaust memorial to honor the victims of the Holocaust. The monolith replaced another erected at Parque de Invierno, one of the town’s most well-known parks, which had been the target of similar attacks by radical right-wing groups.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain said of the vandalism: “We urge the Spanish authorities to condemn such acts, to restore the damaged elements immediately, and to implement educational measures to teach tolerance, mutual understanding, and the right to be considered different.”

The President of the Jewish Community in Asturias, where Oviedo is located, called the vandalism an antisemitic attack.

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Image credit: Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain