A communist symbol was reportedly spray painted on a World War II memorial in Charlotte, North Carolina, over the weekend.
A hammer and sickle was emblazoned across the stone monument in red and yellow, as well as the words “Glory to the day of heroism June 19, 1986,” according to Fox News. Both are references to communist ideology.
The 1986 date refers to communist rebels who overthrew three different Peru prisons. The leftist revolutionaries constructed bombs and murdered police officers, according to a 1986 New York Times report.
Vandals also painted over the description of the monument, which said it honored those “who made the supreme sacrifice.” The 20-foot-tall relic is dedicated to 500 men who were killed in World War II, Fox reported.
U.S. Air Force veteran Wayne White reportedly took the day off from work Monday, formed a group of volunteers, and began cleaning the monument after seeing it was defaced.
Wright, who drove from his home in South Carolina, said those honored by the monument “are veterans and deserve the honor, respect, and dignity,” according to FOX46.
Wayne White, a US Air Force Vet, rounded up some friends and is working to help clean up a Charlotte WWII memorial after seeing on social media that it had been defaced. @FOX46News pic.twitter.com/KvrglFBwfN
— Jonathan Monté (@JonMonteFOX46) June 22, 2020
Police are investigating the incident, CBS17 reported.
The graffiti has reportedly been removed from the statue by White and his group.
As @JonMonteFOX46 reported earlier, several Veterans have nearly completed removing graffiti from a vandalized World War II memorial in east charlotte. @FOX46News https://t.co/9esLUUromz pic.twitter.com/oh3ziXsAfL
— ????? ???????????? (@BrianFox46) June 22, 2020
The act of vandalism in Charlotte comes amid a national trend of destroying and defacing historic monuments in major cities. The destruction follows protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes, viral video shows.
Richmond’s statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was the subject of vandalism by protesters after it was too heavy to topple, according to The Economist. Similarly, a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was dismantled a week ago in Virginia’s capital, ABC reported.
A statue of George Washington was pulled down in Portland on Thursday in one of the latest acts of vandalism by demonstrators, according to Time.
A group of people late Thursday night tore down a statue of George Washington that stood on the lawn of the German American Society in Portland, Ore.https://t.co/Xx9Y2S2jPX
— KOMO News (@komonews) June 19, 2020
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