The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (Trevor Carpenter)

(JTA) — The Lincoln Memorial closed temporarily on Wednesday after its steps were vandalized with graffiti reading “Free Gaza” in multiple places.

U.S. Park Police are investigating the graffiti, which was discovered Wednesday morning at the Washington, D.C. monument, according to ABC News. Crews were dispatched  to clean up the vandalism. The steps of the memorial were splattered with red paint and pro-Palestinian messages, which the National Park Service said could take some time to complete.

“National Park Service conservators have begun the process of removing the paint this morning, though it may take multiple treatments over several days to remove all of it,” spokesperson Mike Litterst said Wednesday.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis in the Middle East each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

By the evening, according to a local Fox affiliate, most of the paint was removed. One more treatment of the graffiti was scheduled for Thursday morning.

Images from the scene show that the words “Free Palestine” and another message that includes the phrase “land back” were spray-painted at the base of the memorial near the reflecting pool.

Last month, protestors spray-painted “Free Palestine” on several statutes at Lafayette Square, a park near the White House.

Jewish sites in the United States and across the world have been hit with antisemitic and anti-Israel graffiti since the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7. The targets have included several synagogues, the New York office of a Jewish member of Congress and London’s Holocaust library.

This article originally appeared on JTA.org.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount