School vandalism, flag burnings strike Kiev

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(JTA) — A Jewish school in Kiev was vandalized, apparently by members of a local neo-Nazi group.

Vandals broke into the school building Tuesday night, spray-painting swastikas and slogans such as "Death to Jews" and "Death to Israel" on the walls, Chabad.info reported Wednesday. The name of a known neo-Nazi group  also was painted on the wall, according to the report.

The school is run by the local Chabad organization.

Meanwhile, during an April 15 rally in Kiev, members of a far-right group burned Israeli, Russian and Polish flags.

The flag burning took place during a gathering of the Patriots of Ukraine, which regularly holds racist and anti-Semitic demonstrations, according to the Union of Councils for Jews in the former Soviet Union, citing a Ukrainian Jewish news Web site.

The gathering was held to mark the 242nd anniversary of an uprising by Ukrainian Cossacks against Polish landowners.

Police reportedly detained two of the demonstrators, who were charged with disobeying police. The demonstrators were not charged with a hate crime for the flag burning, according to UCSJ.

 

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