Amid Charlottesville Outrage, Boston Holocaust Memorial Vandalized Again

The New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston was vandalized Monday evening for the second time this summer. Two bystanders tackled a 17-year-old who was allegedly responsible for the damage and held him until police arrived according to the Boston Police Department.

The memorial comprises six towers covered in glass panels etched with numbers that represent the tattoos on the arms of Jews killed in Nazi concentration camps in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. Each of the towers is 54-feet high. They stand in historic downtown Boston between its city hall and Faneuil Hall.

The teen allegedly threw a rock through one of the panels smashing it and he was charged with the willful and malicious destruction of property. Boston Police’s Civil Rights Unit will also investigate the incident.

“I’m grateful for the quick response and the community help which led to the swift arrest of the suspect responsible for the damage done to the Holocaust Memorial,” said Boston Police Commissioner William Evans in a statement. “Clearly, this type of behavior will not be tolerated in our city. And, in light of the recent events and unrest in Charlottesville, it’s sad to see a young person choose to engage in such senseless and shameful behavior.”

Evans referred to the far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend that included Nazis, KKK members and white supremacists. The group rallied around a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that the city had decided to remove, pending litigation. The weekend ended with one death when a man rammed a group of counter-protesters with his car.

Chants could be heard from the mostly white, far-right rally over both days that disparaged racial and religious minorities. One chant, “Jews won’t replace us,” specifically targeted Jews.

Boston’s mayor, Marty Walsh also condemned the act of vandalism on Twitter.

“Today and every day Boston stands up against hate. I'm saddened to see such a despicable action in this great city. Thankful to public and (Boston Police) for quick arrest of the person responsible for vandalizing Holocaust Memorial,” said Walsh Monday night across two tweets.

This is the second time the memorial has been vandalized in three months. In June, James Issac, 21, of Boston was accused of shattering a glass panel on one of the towers.

In a joint statement, the Combined Jewish Philanthropies and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Boston condemned the act.

“We are appalled and saddened that the New England Holocaust Memorial was vandalized Monday night for the second time in just 6 weeks. The images of Nazis marching in the streets of America over the weekend in Charlottesville and now shattered glass once again at this sacred space in Boston are an affront to our Jewish community,” read the statement.