Anti-Semitic graffiti sprayed on sculpture, Wood St Flinders
Distressed locals were quick to act when Nazi symbols were sprayed across a Mornington Peninsula town over the weekend.
South East
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A little fishing village on the Mornington Peninsula is reeling after being hit with hateful graffiti.
Anti-Semitic symbols were sprayed across Flinders’ main drag and a sculpture at the entrance to the town over the weekend.
Locals were quick to act after discovering the distressing Nazi symbols in pinkish, red paint on Saturday morning.
Residents tried to remove the graffiti and when they failed, wrapped the sculpture in fabric to prevent it being seen.
Flinders Community Association (FCA) president Maxine Wright said evil had found its way into the town.
“We’re just a little fishing village, but sadly, we are being hit by the same kind of hate seen in a big city,” she said.
The 3.5m I Am bronze and stainless steel sculpture by Andrew Rogers was gifted to the town by the FCA to mark its 150th anniversary.
It was installed at the roundabout at the intersection of Wood and Cook streets.
Liberal federal MP for Flinders Zoe McKenzie condemned the graffiti.
“This is not acceptable in Flinders. Not here in Flinders. Not anywhere,” she posted on social media.
“There is no place in Australia for acts and symbols that glorify the horrors of the Holocaust, Nazism and its evil ideology.”
Ms Wright said the distressing vandalism followed a spate of robberies and attempted break-ins on businesses and houses in Flinders.
She said security was the top issue at a recent meeting of the community association.
“We had police attend to advise people on how to improve their security,” she said.
“The advice included always locking your doors, even when you’re at home.
“Installing cameras was also recommended and a lot of people who didn’t have them before are now getting them put in.”
The association was also working with police to have more cameras installed in public places.