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Diggers grave site vandalised with swastikas in 'hate filled' act

Yahoo News Australia and agencies
Updated

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has blasted the “disgusting” and “appalling” anti-Semitic vandalism found on Commonwealth war graves.

Soldier’s headstones at the Haifa War Cemetery in Israel were vandalised with red Swastikas and other symbols, and some graves were ripped out of the ground.

Mr Morrison condemned the act of vandalism during his brief visit to Fiji.

Dozens of Commonwealth graves that have been daubed with swastikas and other symbols at a cemetery dedicated to those who fought in the first and second world wars. Source: PA.
Dozens of Commonwealth graves have been vandalised. Source: PA.

"This is disgusting, appalling and nothing other than just hate filled desecration of our own diggers, our light horsemen and it is terribly upsetting," Mr Morrison said.

He said Australians, including members of parliament, have been targeted with anti-Semitic trolling on their Twitter accounts and defacing of their images.

"So let's not kid ourselves. It is close to home, and it has got to be stamped out," he said.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is “dismayed” by the vandalism, according to the CWGC website. The website also said the vandalism was reported to the authorities, and staff from the CWGC are on site to restore the headstones.

“CWGC is grateful for all the messages of support and would like to reassure our public that we will never allow such shameful acts to detract from our commemoration of the war dead,” the website says.

The headstones were vandalised with red spray paint overnight at the Haifa war cemetery in northern Israel, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Source: PA.
The headstones were vandalised with red spray paint overnight at the Haifa war cemetery in northern Israel, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Source: PA.

Haifa War Cemetery in Israel has 305 Commonwealth burials from the First World War, and 36 from the Second World War.

Local police have reportedly started an investigation into the incident.

A cemetery worker, Adel Moore, who has taken care of the cemetery for thirty years told media the vandalism “hurts the heart”.

“It hurts the heart, obviously,” Mr Moore said.

“I'm working here every day, cleaning tidbits. Keeping it respectable ... Why would anyone want to hurt a place like that? Don't understand it at all.”

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