A swastika was found defacing a Jewish cemetery in the same town as the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial in Poland Sunday, Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.
A wall of the Oswiecim Jewish cemetery was defaced with Nazi symbols, including a swastika and Nazi SS bolt, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The cemetery is located just under two miles from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, the Memorial posted on Twitter Sunday.
The exterior wall of the Oświęcim Jewish cemetery – a remnant and memorial of the destroyed community – has been vandalized with Nazi symbols. Seeing them just 3 km from the Memorial, at the town that suffered so much during the German occupation, is painful…. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/FSrGznYDy0
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) January 10, 2021
“Together we need to keep fighting against all forms of hatred,” the Auschwitz Memorial said.
This cemetery is well taken care of by the Auschwitz Jewish Center & local community. The wall was cleaned immediately, but together we need to keep fighting against all forms of hatred. The Polish law prosecutes such acts. We hope the Police will identify people responsible. pic.twitter.com/w8B9jBNyAz
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) January 10, 2021
The symbols were removed immediately after being discovered by a local police officer, according to NBC News. The perpetrator is yet to be identified but is looking at up to ten years in prison for defacing a monument and spreading fascist ideas, according to NBC News.
“Auschwitz is a place where such acts will always be condemned,” the mayor of Oswiecim, Janusz Chweirut, said in a statement Sunday. (RELATED: Police Launch Investigation After Swastika Found In German Parliament Building)
“Auschwitz is also a symbol of the centuries-old coexistence of the Jewish and Christian communities, and the inhabitants of pre-war Auschwitz are buried in the Jewish cemetery. Such actions undermine our common memory,” Chweirut continued.