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December 5, 2021 9:32 am
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Boise, Idaho Anne Frank Memorial Again Targeted With Antisemitic Vandalism

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avatar by Algemeiner Staff

Graffiti near the Anne Frank Memorial in Boise, Idaho. Photo: Twitter screenshot

Police in Boise, Idaho are investigating after a memorial dedicated to Anne Frank — the Dutch Jewish girl who kept a diary while hiding from the Nazis during World War II — was found defaced with antisemitic vandalism Saturday, nearly a year after a similar incident.

The Boise Police Department said Saturday that the graffiti was found in tunnels along the Greenbelt near the memorial.

“We recognize the significance of this being the last Saturday of Hanukkah and we are reaching out to Jewish leaders in our community to let them know we will not stand for such hateful and abhorrent behavior in our city,” Chief Ryan Lee said on Twitter.

“The graffiti is in the process of being cleaned and covered up,” he added, thanking the Boise Parks Department for their quick response.

Images of the graffiti shared on social media showed the phrases “f**k Jews” and “I [heart] Nazis,” along with several swastikas and a homophobic message.

Dedicated in 2002 by the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, the memorial contains a life-size bronze statue of Frank, and is the only one in the US dedicated to her specifically. The statue was previously defaced nearly one year ago days before the Hanukkah holiday, with Nazi and and racist symbols and the written warning, “We are everywhere.”

Boise Mayor Lauren McLean on Saturday condemned the latest incident, saying, “The antisemitic messages contained in the graffiti found along the Greenbelt put a literal and figurative stain on our community. This will not be tolerated.”

“Hate speech is reprehensible,” McLean added. “It is not who are as a city and is not part of our shared values. I invite all good people of Boise to stand with me, as I stand with our Jewish neighbors, to rebuke this hate.”

Boise police asked anyone with information to contact them at 208-377-6790 or CrimeStoppers or via 343COPS.com.

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