Greek Jewish cemetery memorial in Thessaloniki targeted, again

A monument on the campus of Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University (AUT) which commemorates a Jewish cemetery destroyed by the Nazis was targeted again by vandals on Friday.

The perpetrators smashed the marble commemorative signs placed in the old cemetary which was destroyed by the Nazis in 1942.

This is the third time the monument has been targeted. In July 2018, vandals twice daubed paint and painted a cross on the monument.

The attack was swiftly condemned by AUT. “The Rectorate, expressing the abhorrence of the entire university community, strongly condemns the incident and calls on society and all its bodies to be vigilant to incidents of racial hatred, blind violence and destruction,” it said in a statement.

Thessaloniki has planned several events to commemorate the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday, which will be attended by President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.