Police probe ‘hate crime’ after Holocaust posters graffitied with ‘liars’ in east London

From the Express

Graffiti was sprayed onto three posters in Stratford, east London, each advertising a Holocaust memorial day event to be held by Newham Council.

Newham Council were first made aware of the incidents through social media, when “repulsed” resident James Tattle posted pictures of the defaced posters on Twitter.

He said: “I recently noticed the posters promoting the Holocaust Memorial Day event, I thought it was great that an event was happening locally to mark the occasion. I was utterly repulsed, and saddened, to see one of the posters had been defaced. I couldn’t believe that anyone would stoop so low as to scrawl that graffiti – not something I expect to see in London in 2015.” I could, sadly, but then I am saddened daily by what has become of my home city.

The council have since confirmed that the graffiti, which is being treated as racially aggravated criminal damage, has already been removed from the three posters. They added that police are checking the borough’s CCTV footage to try and identify those responsible, while council officials will be monitoring all advertising boards in case of further offences. The posters, which are on display at 43 sites across the borough, are advertising the council’s Holocaust memorial day event on Tuesday January 27 at Stratford Town Hall.

Metropolitan Police said the incidents were being listed as a “hate crime” and that officers in Newham were investigating.

The three separate posters were found in two locations – two in High Street, Stratford, and one in West Ham Lane, near Stratford Park, the council said.

Update from the London Evening Standard. The police have released CCTV. That’s a man in a dress – and he’s not Danny la Rue or Grayson Perry – that looks like a kurta to me.