Swastikas have been daubed at the spot where a Syrian child was killed in an accident in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Local politicians condemned the graffiti, which is being investigated by police.
The small town of Schönberg in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has become the scene of an ugly neo-Nazi hate campaign after a young boy was hit by a tractor on June 20. Two men have since been identified in connection with the crime.
In the weeks after the accident, swastikas were twice daubed at the site, and twice removed by local authorities.
Local police reported that the 9-year-old boy had lost his balance while riding his bike on the sidewalk and had strayed onto the road, where he was hit by the tractor. He died a few days later in hospital.
Two weeks later, on July 8, a local resident reported that a large swastika had been painted at the spot on the sidewalk with white paint. It was removed, but a new swastika, also in white paint, was found at the same spot on July 28, this time with “1:0” written next to it.
The mother of the boy told the Bild newspaper, “What did we do to deserve a swastika to be drawn there?” The family arrived in Germany from the city of Idlib, Syria, in 2015.
On Aug. 6, state prosecutors announced that they had identified two men, aged 22 and 23, in connection with the crime, after tip-offs from the public. “A search of the homes of the suspects did not lead to the discovery of the spray paint, but the suspicion remains on account of further investigation results,” prosecutors said in a statement.
Prosecutors added that the two men were being investigated on suspicion of using symbols of an anti-constitutional organization and causing damage to public property. They are “assuming xenopobic motives.”
Source: DW
