Lewisham war memorial defaced with graffiti that labels Israel 'fascist state'
21 November 2023, 16:29
A south-east London war memorial has been defaced with anti-Israel graffiti, as police hunt the culprit.
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The graffiti on the Lewisham war memorial says: "Israel is a fascist state".
It is unclear who sprayed on the graffiti. Police think it took place between midday on Sunday, November 12 and 9am on November 13 - the
Lewisham Council have since removed the graffiti.
It comes amid a series of huge protests calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Several people have been arrested on suspicion of anti-Semitic crimes after these marches.
Read more: Woman bursts into anti-Semitic tirade on bus after Palestine protest on Armistice Day
PC Andrew Dobson, who is investigating the incident, said: “Criminal damage and offensive comments of this nature are completely unacceptable and our team are doing all we can to identify those responsible.
“We know that incidents like this cause significant concern in our communities and we will be relentless in targeting those who commit such offences.
“We are asking anyone in the area on Sunday evening or overnight to think back as to whether they saw anything that could help us with our enquiries.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC quoting ref 3230309/23 . You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 111 555.
