Vandals deface memorials in Ida-Viru County's Blue Hills
Memorial plaques in the Blue Hills (Sinimäed), Ida-Viru County have been vandalized once again. Police have launched a criminal investigation into the incident, while the local government promises to repair the damage as soon as possible.
The memorials in the Blue Hills (Sinimäed) were also previously damaged last year, with police catching the men responsible. The most recent attack took place over the weekend.
"Yesterday, after 2 p.m., the police received a report that the Sinimäed memorial stones had again been vandalized. The first crew to arrive at the scene discovered that the memorial stones had been knocked off their pedestals and smeared with red paint. That is all I can say at this point, and criminal proceedings have been initiated," said Silver Pälsing, head of the patrol department at Narva Police Station.
The Sinimäe memorial is maintained by the Narva-Jõesuu city government. On Sunday evening, three defaced and damaged memorial stones were removed for restoration.
"We will repair them, clean off the paint and then put them back in the same place. We hope to have them back in place within two weeks. The Heritage Board (Muinsuskaitseamet) has promised us support and so, we will manage. We will get some quotes again, and it will probably cost a couple of thousand euros," said Raim Sarv, deputy mayor of Narva-Jõesuu.
A video surveillance system has been installed in the area to prevent the destruction of memorial plaques. Now, however, Narva-Jõesuu City Government plans to improve the lighting at the memorial so vandals can be caught more easily.
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Editor: Michael Cole, Aleksander Krjukov
Source: "Aktuaalne kaamera"
