The police are carrying out actions to identify the individuals involved in the desecration of the graves in the Jewish Cemetery in the capital, stating that a criminal case has been initiated. In a message published by the General Inspectorate of Police, it is mentioned that “the police are treating this case with the utmost seriousness and are collaborating with representatives of the Jewish community and local authorities to restore order and prevent such incidents in the future”, IPN reports.

The Buiucani Police Inspectorate was notified about acts of vandalism at the Jewish Cemetery in Chisinau on June 3rd. The police teams that arrived at the scene found that 37 graves had been desecrated, with Nazi symbols drawn on them.

“The police strongly condemn any act of desecration and lack of respect towards the burial sites and values of ethnic and religious communities,” states the message from the General Inspectorate of Police. The perpetrators have not yet been identified. If found, they can be fined up to 52,500 lei or even face three years of imprisonment.

The case was condemned by authorities. The capital city’s City Hall wrote that it is important to respect each other, regardless of religion or ethnicity, and the President of Parliament, Igor Grosu, did not rule out the possibility of sabotage, estimating that it would be part of the “broad and extreme destabilization efforts devised by the Kremlin in the Republic of Moldova”. The Jewish community in the Republic of Moldova did not comment on the case on their website or on Facebook, but their representatives declared to the press that such actions cannot be tolerated and urged the authorities to intensify measures to protect the cemetery.