Lithuania
LithuaniaiStock

A Lithuanian Holocaust memorial in Kretinga District Municipality honoring the lives of 320 Jews who were mass murdered at the site was vandalized.

The vandalism was discovered by a man who lives in nearby Darbėnai who was taking a walk through the woods passing by the memorial.

The man contacted municipal authorities to report the defacement of the monument. They informed police of the desecration, Lithuanian news site LZB reported.

The vandalism included a swastika carved into the stone monument and vodka bottles broken on it, pieces of which were left at the scene.

In 1941, approximately 320 women and children from the Jewish community in Darbėnai were murdered at the site.

In 2005, the monument was officially recognized by the Lithuanian government as a protected cultural landmark with historical value.