Lincoln Memorial vandalized with ‘Free Gaza’ graffiti

The Lincoln Memorial closed temporarily on Wednesday after its steps were vandalized with graffiti reading “Free Gaza” in multiple places.

US Park Police are investigating the graffiti, which was discovered Wednesday morning at the Washington, D.C. monument, according to ABC News. Crews were dispatched to clean up the vandalism. The steps of the memorial were splattered with red paint and pro-Palestinian messages, which the National Park Service said could take some time to complete.

“National Park Service conservators have begun the process of removing the paint this morning, though it may take multiple treatments over several days to remove all of it,” spokesperson Mike Litterst said Wednesday.

By the evening, according to a local Fox affiliate, most of the paint was removed. One more treatment of the graffiti was scheduled for Thursday morning.

Steps leading to the Lincoln Memorial have been defaced with red paint. @NationalMallNPS crews are cleaning it up. No word on who did this but that person/persons have left the area. Updates as we get them. @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/bpAtZwbiBz

— Bob Barnard (@barnardfox5dc) December 20, 2023

Images from the scene show that the words “Free Palestine” and another message that includes the phrase “land back” were spray-painted at the base of the memorial near the reflecting pool.

Vandalism on other important sites

Last month, protestors spray-painted “Free Palestine” on several statutes at Lafayette Square, a park near the White House.

Jewish sites in the United States and across the world have been hit with antisemitic and anti-Israel graffiti since the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7. The targets have included several synagogues, the New York office of a Jewish member of Congress and London’s Holocaust library.