The police are looking for the perpetrators who vandalised one of the murals promoting multiculturalism in Białystok. The artwork is located in the centre of the city and was created within the framework of an anti-discrimination project.
The "Weaved with multiculturalism" mural was painted on the wall of one of the buildings at Piłsudskiego Avenue in 2015, within the framework of antidiscrimination program "Diversity - pass it on!" created by the 9dwunastych Association. The mural relates to the multicultural history of the city. It resembles a peice of colourful material with words written in various languages and painted objects connected with various cultures.
Among these objects is a menorah which was crossed out with black paint. Someone painted "STOP 447" next to it.
The American Act 447 (Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today — JUST Act, commonly referred to as Act 447) pertains to compensating Holocaust survivors and their heirs for assets seized by Nazi Germany and post-war communist governments.
The spokesperson for the City Guard in Białystok, Joanna Szerenos-Pawilcz said that they were notified about the vandalised mural on Monday morning. She added that the case was handed over to the police. The administrator of the building reassured that the destroyed parts of the mural have been covered.
The police informed that CCTV footage will be analysed and that the prosecutor will decide whether to classify it a crime or damage to property.
It's the second time when the mural was desecrated. Previously, in 2018, unknown perpetrators painted a swastika on the menorah. Local community restored the mural to its original form during a joint action aimed to show solidarity in protest against hate, nazism, duscrimination and anti-Semitism. The action was supported also by the city authorities.
Earlier on, at the same street, someone vandalised another mural showing citations from John Paul II: "Racism contradicts the innermost identity of a human being". Unknown perpetrator painted the word "Jew" over the word "Racism", changing the former Pope's message into a racist and anti-Semitic statement. The city then decided to clean remove the paint and restore the mural to its original look.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: tvn24