A United States Marine Corps billboard in Baltimore that was vandalized with Nazi imagery this week has been removed, according to WBFF FOX45 Baltimore.
The word “Nazi” was spray-painted in bold black letters across a close-up image of U.S. Marines standing in formation. The vandal also painted a Hitler mustache on one of them. The billboard’s original text — “The fighting spirit of an entire nation” — was blacked out with spray paint.
“It’s deeply offensive to those in the neighborhood who have served in militaries, particularly U.S. Marine Corps, as well as our Jewish neighbors, because to throw around the term ‘Nazi,’ I think it really minimizes what happened to Jews historically,” community activist Arch McKown told FOX45.
Upon seeing the vandalism, McKown called the Baltimore Police, who confirmed that the incident is under investigation.
McKown then called City Council President Zeke Cohen, who decried the vandalism as “absolutely unacceptable.”
“As the first Jewish city council president in over 40 years, I will not stand for people desecrating a military installment signal like that,” Cohen told FOX45.
He spoke to the importance of acting quickly and holding perpetrators accountable, amid a rise in antisemitic incidents nationwide.
“It is important that the city does everything it can to make sure our community is safe and secure,” Cohen told FOX45. “We are working directly with law enforcement to make sure Jewish Baltimoreans are safe.”
This incident comes months after Marines were deployed to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Louisiana and Florida.
“It’s the sentiment of a lot of people,” a commenter wrote on Facebook under FOX45’s post, referring to the content of the vandalism. “With Pete keg’s breath having Heil Hitler tattoos on the American flag on his arm this is expected.”
The commenter was referring to Pete Hegseth, the U.S. secretary of defense.
Other commenters blamed left-wing supporters for the vandalism.
“These psycho Trump haters have really gone mad,” one wrote.
