A mural in honour of an Irish priest who saved thousands of Jewish people during World War II has been vandalised with Hitler references in Tralee.
Kerry artist May Leen who painted the mural of Msgr Hugh O’Flaherty in 2015 said the priest’s family “don’t deserve to see this”.
“To see this war hero, and a brave Kerry man, that saved thousands of people from the Nazis during the war to now, ironically, be compared to Hitler, it is very wrong,” she told the Kerryman. The attack is believed to have occurred at some point over the weekend.
Msgr O’Flaherty saved more than 6,500 Jewish lives and Allied prisoners of war when he was based in Rome, becoming known as The Vatican Pimpernel.
The mural is part of a permanent memorial which honours the priest’s good deeds.
Being an art teacher, Ms Leen encourages her students to respond to and interact with art. “This is healthy, so I am respectfully calling out the individual that did this to respond to this painting in a healthy and dignified way by creating their own artwork and offer it for public display,” she said.
The artist believes if someone is brave enough to vandalise another artist’s work, they should be as brave to do their own artwork and have that analysed and discussed by the public.
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