24 April 2007
A Jewish cemetery in Augustow, in northeastern Poland, has been vandalized, according to a report by JTA. Swastikas were sprayed on five gravestones and a granite memorial plaque to Holocaust survivors was smashed. The town has cleaned up the swastikas, according to the Warsaw-based Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland. Foundation director Monika Krawczyk told JTA that cemetery desecrations and anti-Semitic graffiti were on the rise in Poland, particularly in places with a growing far-right presence. She added, however, that countering this trend was a growth in non-governmental organizations focused on human rights.
