Tag: Hundreds Of Swastikas Spray-Painted In Illinois Cemetery

Residents of a western Illinois town awoke Saturday morning to find hundreds of swastikas spray-painted around a cemetery.

An estimated 200 headstones, two family mausoleums and another structure in Sunset Hills Cemetery in Glen Carbon were tagged with the hate symbol, a cemetery employee told HuffPost.

“It’s just unfortunate that they’re doing it this time of year, because it’s Memorial Day. That’s a special day for us,” the superintendent, Mark Johnson, told the News-Democrat.

Law enforcement arrested a 34-year-old white male as part of their investigation, the Edwardsville Police Department announced over Facebook late Saturday afternoon.

The Glen Carbon Police Department, which is leading the investigation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Like many American cemeteries, Sunset Hills has held annual Memorial Day services for former members of the military interred there. At Sunset Hills, they number more than 1,600, an employee told HuffPost.

READ MORE——>  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/vandals-paint-swastikas-on-around-200-gravestones-in-illinois_us_5b09bee4e4b0fdb2aa542a8d?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063&utm_campaign=hp_fb_pages&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=main_fb

Sunset Hills Cemetery should be getting ready for #MemorialDay celebrations but instead they’re wiping off these spray painted swastikas. About 200 headstones were targeted @ksdknews pic.twitter.com/UL15BGyH9g

— Jenn Sullivan (@JennSullivanTV) May 26, 2018