The World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was vandalized Thursday when bright pink spray paint reading “Clean hands, dirty money” was scrawled across its surface.
U.S. Park Police reported that the memorial’s fountain had been tampered with, overflowing with bubbles, prompting them to block off the area for investigation.
The Interior Department condemned the act, stating: “The World War II Memorial is a sacred place to honor the service of our members of the Armed Forces and the over 400,000 Americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice in WWII. The vandalism that occurred is an utter disgrace and will not be tolerated.”
Debra Mortensen, an Army veteran who visited the memorial, expressed offense: “It just makes me absolutely irate. I was offended because people fought and died for our country, and it’s dishonoring our country and all we’ve been through.”
Priscilla, a visitor from New Jersey, said: “It’s really sad to see that we can’t even experience it.”
DC resident Ahmed Cisse added: “It’s kind of shocking for us to see that,” as Park Police crime scene tape secured the site.
Interior Department spokesman Cody Sargent described the recent act as “disgusting vandalism from deranged losers” and stated: “It’s pathetic to deface a memorial to our WWII heroes.”
The Interior Department vowed to find the person responsible for this act. The incident followed alleged vandalism to the new swimming pool liner coating the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. In 2016, the memorial was vandalized by an individual protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline with the phrase “NoDAPL.”
