2024-09-16 11:03:32
During the night, unknown persons defaced the state parliament in Hanover with slogans and symbols of an Islamist organization. The police are investigating.
The state parliament in Hanover was defaced with politically motivated slogans during the night. “The state parliament building was defaced with political slogans and symbols of a radical Islamist terrorist organization,” said state parliament president Hanna Naber (SPD) in a statement. “I condemn this act in the strongest possible terms.”
According to reports, unknown persons painted the slogans in red between 3 and 4 a.m. The police secured evidence and began an investigation, said Naber. The state parliament administration immediately began removing the slogans.
Pictures show that the unknown perpetrators smeared red triangles on the building. According to Middle East experts, the Hamas symbol is used to mark its enemies and to identify targets for attacks. Since the terrorist organization’s attack on Israel in October last year, the symbol has regularly appeared in Berlin in connection with pro-Palestinian protests. According to a spokesman, the slogan also read “Free Gaza.”
According to Naber, internal investigations by the state parliament have also begun. “We will do everything in our power to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” said Naber. “The Lower Saxony state parliament stands for democratic debate and – despite all the disputes on the matter – for fair treatment of one another.”
CDU opposition leader Sebastian Lechner was appalled. “We strongly condemn the graffiti on the state parliament with ‘Free Gaza’ slogans,” said the parliamentary group leader. “Such illegal acts damage democratic discourse and disregard the respect that our parliament deserves. Vandalism is not only a criminal offense, but an attack on our democracy and the open exchange of opinions that our parliament symbolizes.”
The co-chair of the Greens in the state parliament, Anne Kura, described the graffiti as “a huge mess”. She hopes that those responsible will be quickly identified and brought to justice. “Anyone who smears symbols of terrorist organisations on the buildings of democratic institutions is also attacking democracy itself.”
The incident occurred right before today’s open day in the state parliament. Despite the incident, the parliament wants to celebrate it together with citizens, said Naber. “This incident will not dissuade us from doing so.”