In Dnepropetrovsk, vandals toppled a Jewish symbol. The US Embassy demands that those responsible be punished
A group of unknown people in the center of Dnepropetrovsk knocked down a nine-candlestick erected in honor of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah.
Local media reported this, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The incident took place on European Square. Video surveillance camera footage shows how several people began to shake the nine-branched Chanukiah candlestick, filming what was happening on their phones. After some time, the structure collapsed, after which the vandals hastily fled the scene.
“I don’t know what to call these people. There was a group of people, there were at least four of them. We will insist, we will be in full contact with the police, with all their actions to detain people whom we consider, of course, to be criminals who committed such an act of vandalism,” commented the Jewish Community of Dnepropetrovsk.
In addition, the incident caused a reaction from the US Embassy in Ukraine. The representative office said it was “shocked” by the news and called for the perpetrators to be punished.
“We are shocked and saddened by the news about the demolition of Hanukkiah in the central square of the Dnieper. The US Embassy calls on law enforcement to investigate and bring to justice those responsible for hate crimes. The United States supports Ukraine in condemning anti-Semitism,” the US Embassy commented on Twitter.
As a reminder, Ukrainian nationalists in Kyiv stopped the installation of the Menorah (seven-branched candelabrum) on Independence Square, which was installed in honor of the holiday of Hanukkah.