Police are seeking the public’s help identifying a man suspected in an act of ‘disgusting vandalism’ at the Holocaust Memorial in the city.
Boston Police issued stills from surveillance footage of a man they say defaced the New England Holocaust Memorial a little before 9 p.m. on Friday night.
The vandalism was to a single glass panel directly facing the Bell in Hand pub which, according to the police report, “was covered in graffiti in black ink of an unknown writing.”
The photos of the suspect show a white male with curly hair that is short on the sides with a light goatee and a distinctive tattoo on one of his upper arms.
City Councilor Ed Flynn shared a statement with the Herald in which he said that “The People of Boston unequivocally denounce the hate and disgusting vandalism.”
“Following the October 7th horrific attack by Hamas on Israel last year, we unfortunately continue to witness a dramatic increase in antisemitism not only nationally but here in Boston — including defacing memorials at the Boston Common and Public Garden with both antisemitic and anti-American veteran messages,” he said in a statement, which he also posted to X.
Anti-Defamation League New England said the act “desecrates a symbol of remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust.”
“Vandalism of a sacred space is a particularly devastating form of hate with deep impact on our community. We are grateful to join our community partners as this investigation continues,” the group wrote on X.
The BPD asks that anyone who knows anything about the vandalism or the man pictured in the photos to contact the department’s civil rights detectives at 617-343-4527 or to submit information anonymously through the CrimeStoppers tip line by calling 1-800-494-TIPS (8477) or texting the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463).
