Portland Police confirmed today that anti-Semitic graffiti discovered in Portland on Monday has been “covered up.”
The graffiti, which was first reported by WGME, was found on a walking trail near the city’s sewage treatment plant. A post by the station to X, formerly known as Twitter, prompted US Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) to respond.
The graffiti included anti-Israel and white supremacist messaging and referenced the group NSC 131, which the Anti-Defamation League refers to as a “neo-Nazi group based in the New England region.”
“I am disgusted with this antisemitic vandalism in our community,” Pingree wrote. “Maine has always been and must always remain a sanctuary for all peoples regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity. All Portlanders should reject this ugly hate whenever it shows itself. This is not who we are.”
Police told Spectrum News Thursday that they were aware of the graffiti.
“We were contacted yesterday and it was taken care of (covered up) by the city,” said Police Spokesperson Brad Nadeau.
Emotions among Maine’s Jewish communities remain high in the wake of violence that broke out last Saturday when Hamas, a militant Palestinian group based in Gaza, attacked Israel without warning, killing and kidnapping civilians. Israel responded with a counterattack on Gaza that continues this week.