An unidentified perpetrator splashed red paint on the Polish Consulate in New York and the Jan Karski monument twice within three days, prompting an urgent investigation by local police.
Vandalism at the Polish Consulate
An unidentified individual doused the Jan Karski monument, the building’s entrance, and a section of the facade of the Polish Consulate General in New York with red paint. New York police reported that the incidents took place on May 27 and May 29.
Consul Mateusz Sakowicz stated that the matter is being treated as a high-priority security issue. He noted that the consulate is working in cooperation with the appropriate services to address the damage, as authorities have not yet identified any political motivation or manifesto behind the acts of vandalism.
Official Response and Cleanup Efforts
The paint covered parts of both the consulate wall and the Karski memorial bench. Consulate staff managed to remove some of the substance themselves, while professional municipal services were tasked with cleaning the remainder using chemical agents.
New York city councilors condemned the attacks, labeling the repeated targeting of the diplomatic mission within a 72-hour window as unacceptable. They emphasized the strength of U.S.-Poland relations and the significant contributions of Polish Americans to the city.
Historical Significance of Jan Karski
Jan Karski, born in Lodz in 1914, was a diplomat and courier for the Polish Underground State who provided the world with the first detailed, eyewitness accounts of the Holocaust. An anti-communist, he moved to the United States after the war, becoming a professor at Georgetown University in 1952.
During his lifetime, Karski received honorary Israeli citizenship and a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. In 2012, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Karski monument on Manhattan’s Madison Avenue was previously damaged in 2017.
