Thessaloniki – The mural for The Lockout of the Jews on the eastern fence of the New Railway Station, which was implemented in 2021 by the Vardari Neighborhood Group, was vandalized for the second time.
The Group, with its post on Facebook, condemns the event, complaining that “Members of fascist groups this time covered a large part of the mural with swastikas and symbols of hate, trying once again to tarnish what themural symbolizes and reminds: The greatest crime in the history of mankind, the Holocaust.” while stressing that they will proceed with the immediate restoration of the mural.
Full announcement:
Today 10/1 we found that the Jewish Holocaust mural on the eastern fence of the New Railway Station implemented in 2021 by the Vardar Neighborhood Group* was vandalized for the second time by Nazi nostalgics.
Members of fascist groups this time covered a large part of the mural with swastikas and symbols of hate, trying once again to tarnish what themural symbolizes and reminds: The greatest crime in the history of mankind, the Holocaust.
Unfortunately, it is the second time in two weeks that a memorial that honors the long-standing Jewish presence in our city and the victims of the Holocaust has been targeted by neo-Nazi groups, as well as on 28/12 the monument that was erected in 2014 inside the University Campus was desecrated AUTH and is dedicated to the old Jewish Cemetery.
Such acts of blatant hatred do not honor the culture and history of our city and are typical of the ignorance, illiteracy and anti-Semitic beliefs of some of our brazen fellow citizens. However, they are the ones that keep us alert and remind us how the “germ” of racism and intolerance is still active in our societies, reinforcing even more the need to unite and resist collectively against all forms of violence and social stigmatization.
The members of the Vardaris Neighborhood Group condemn this heinous act and state that, as in previous similar circumstances, they will proceed with the immediate restoration of the mural and that they will be there every time something similar happens, responding with action and creation against the rhetoric of hatred.
We invite the active citizens of the neighborhood and the city as a whole on Tuesday 17/1 at 15:00, at the point of the mural (Michael Kalou & Dim. Margaropoulou corner) to erase the smudges that tarnish and offend the conscience of every thinking citizen, so that to once again deliver to the city what it deserves, the right to memory!
* The Neighborhood Group of Vardaris consists of people in the recovery phase, its employeesSelf-Help Promotion Program , active residents of the area and has the support of a large number of citizens, agencies and collectives of the city.
