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Identity of Canadian Holocaust memorial vandal revealed

omrif — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 09:00:42 +0000

In Ottawa, the capital of Canada, city officials announced this week the dismissal of 46-year-old municipal attorney Ian Aspenlieder, who was charged with defacing the city's Holocaust memorial by spray-painting graffiti reading "Feed me."

The CBC reported that the Ottawa city council terminated Aspenlieder's employment. Stuart Huxley, the city's interim legal counsel, told Radio-Canada that Aspenlieder had been on vacation at the time of the incident and "is no longer employed by the city."

Ottawa Shocked: City Lawyer Vandalizes Holocaust Memorial

Ian Aspenlieder, 46, a senior Ottawa city lawyer, was arrested and fired for defacing the National Holocaust Memorial with "FEED ME" graffiti, linked to Gaza hunger crisis claims. Charged with mischief and harassment, he… pic.twitter.com/YhRS33iGMe

— ZIONS OF ISRAEL (@Israeli_Sniper) July 1, 2025

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said the developments were deeply troubling: "While I'm encouraged that the police investigation into the National Holocaust Monument incident is progressing, I'm very disturbed to learn that the individual charged was a city employee on leave," he said.

"As a community and as his employer, his actions at the monument do not reflect our values," Sutcliffe added. "I've asked city authorities to take all appropriate steps in light of these developments."

Aspenlieder, 46, has been charged with desecrating a war memorial, causing property damage exceeding $5,000, and engaging in threatening conduct.

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Holocaust memorial defaced in Poland

miriw — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 08:00:15 +0000

Unidentified perpetrators vandalized the Jewish cemetery in Biłgoraj, Poland, on Tuesday night, defacing the memorial wall with graffiti related to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, including hate messages and a swastika, Polish media outlet, Lublin112.pl, reported.

It's not the first time such acts have happened in the city and the region. Decisive action is needed. https://t.co/WThvzbOGzN

— Amb. Yacov Livne (@YacovLivne) November 27, 2024

The vandals spray-painted the cemetery's memorial wall with a message saying, "This year, Jews murdered 44,000 women and children." The perpetrators also drew an equals sign between a symbol of the Star of David and a swastika.

Israel's Ambassador to Poland Yacov Livne strongly condemned the incident on social media: "Appalling Antisemitism in Bilgoraj, Poland. A report today on a Holocaust memorial vandalized. Again, in Poland. Where are the authorities? It's not the first time such acts have happened in the city and the region. Decisive action is needed."

A view of barbed wire fence and surveillance towers at the former Auschwitz Concentration Camp on January 23, 2024, in Oswiecim, Poland (Photo: Omar Marques/Getty Images) Getty Images

The vandals' graffiti contained spelling errors, including writing "KOBIE" instead of "KOBIET" (women) and "ZAMORDOWALL" instead of "ZAMORDOWALI" (murdered), leading social media commentators to speculate that the perpetrators are not fluent in Polish and must be foreigners. One wrote, "There are far more spelling mistakes in these few words than a child learning to write can make." Another wrote, "Not written by Poles, too many mistakes."

Biłgoraj police are actively investigating the incident and working to identify those responsible for the vandalism.

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