PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia police are investigating after a war memorial was vandalized in the Burholme neighborhood overnight.
Police received a report of vandalism at the Burholme World War I Memorial on Rising Sun Avenue.
Officers arrived to find the monument defaced with red paint reading “Hamas is here.”
No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing.
The memorial was unveiled in 1929. A plaque on the memorial reads: “In honour of the brave sons of Burholme and all others who served their country in the World War.”
Aizaz Gill, chairman of the Burholme Civic Association and Townwatch, issued a statement about the vandalism, noting that the paint had already been removed.
“Our community respects our veterans and will never take lightly the cowardly actions of those who defaced our monument last night. Their actions were not a protest, they were a crime against our community and our country’s veterans. When the defacement was discovered this morning, the Burnholme Townwatch and Civic Association and the residents of Burnholme came together to do what was right, as they always do. Within hours and with the help of our 2nd Philadelphia Police District and CLIP city staff, the horrific vandalism was addressed and the defacement was removed from our neighborhood. We thank everyone involved for their timely assistance.”
