(JTA) — Two teenagers were arrested for vandalizing a Jewish cemetery in Manchester, England.
The two 13-year-old boys were arrested Friday on suspicion of committing a racially aggravated public order offense. They were released on bail until July 25.
Gravestones in the Rochdale Road cemetery were painted with swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti, and about 40 were toppled in last week’s attack. The damage is estimated at more than $170,000, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
A similar attack occurred earlier this month, according to the Manchester Evening News.
“The vandalism of a gravestone is, in itself, a sickening act, but to violate the memory of those resting in the cemetery still further by daubing racial slurs on the graves is truly repulsive,” Inspector Mike Reid of the Greater Manchester Police told the Manchester Evening News.
On Sunday, more than 100 residents of Manchester, including Muslims, Christians and volunteers from the Greater Manchester Police, volunteered to help clean up the cemetery, including removing garbage and debris.
The families of the damaged headstones are responsible for paying for their repair, according to the newspaper.
Police said extra security patrols have been added in the area.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
