Italy
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A mural dedicated to Italian Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre, who in 2018 was named Senator for life for her work in educating young people about the Holocaust, has been defaced with a pro-Mussolini symbol.

The mural in the city of Ariano Irpino was created on March 8 by Alex Shot of the F.I.D.A.P.A. association which promotes women’s initiatives in the fields of arts and business. It was defaced in black spray paint with the word “DUX” which is a variation of “Duce,” the epithet used to describe fascist Italian leader Benito Mussolini.

There was also a black marking next to the word that resembled a crude attempt at drawing a swastika, reported Monitoring Antisemitism Worldwide.

The Mayor of Ariano Irpino, Enrico Franza, published a photo of the mural and denounced the vandalism on his Facebook page.

“My friends, I write to you deeply regretful and embittered: an image of freedom desecrated by a word of hate,” he wrote. “Yet, if we think about it, the author, with this gesture, in his profound ignorance and in a completely unconscious way, allows us to reflect on how priceless is the moral value of Liliana Segre's warning not to remain indifferent and to firmly condemn acts of violence like these.”