Overview
- Police discovered the latest attack in the night to Friday when officers smelled fresh paint, they cleaned the bench at the site and described this as the fourth recorded vandalism.
- The bench was first installed by the Mitte district on August 6 to replace a tree felled after the July 25 CSD attack and to serve as a sign for diversity and remembrance.
- Earlier incidents since early September included multiple wooden slats ripped or broken, one slat removed after the bench was reinstalled on September 14, and a newly planted replacement tree torn out at the end of September.
- Berlin police say the polizeilicher Staatsschutz has taken over the case and is investigating on suspicion of communal property damage with inquiries continuing.
- The repeated attacks have kept the memorial and the July 25 van-and-machete attack in the public spotlight and prompted municipal repairs and stronger tree anchoring at the site, raising local concerns about protecting public places of remembrance