Vandalism to a blue plaque honoring the first Jewish resident of Brighton, England is being investigated by authorities as a hate crime.
The circulator marker commemorating Israel Samuel, who lived in the area from 1766 to 1806, was smashed nearly in half, with a bottom section of its white binding torn off, Brighton And Hove News reported.
It was found earlier in the month lying on the ground in East Street where it had been affixed to a wall for close to a decade.
Police are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime and they have also been in communication with the city’s Jewish community.
The Sussex Police said through a spokesperson that they were “aware of a report of a blue plaque, owned by English Heritage, having been damaged in East Street, Brighton, on the afternoon of [February 3].”
“The incident is being treated as a hate crime. We take reports of any hate crime extremely seriously; antisemitism has no place in society, and this matter is being fully investigated to identify, locate and arrest any offenders,” they added.
The Sussex Jewish Representative Council’s Fiona Sharpe described the damage to the monument as concerning.
“While we are aware that there has been some speculation as to how it came off the wall, these plaques are expertly affixed to walls to be long-lasting, and we haven’t heard of any others around the city just falling off, although we would much prefer that to be the case,” she said. “We sincerely hope this is not another case of anti-Jewish racism in our city.”
The plaque, which was affixed to a wall in 2016, says: “Brighthelmstone’s first Jewish resident lived in a building near this site 1766 – 1806.”
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)