Anti-Semitic Graffiti Defaced 13 Graves at German Cemetery

13 headstones at a Jewish cemetery in Kehl, southwest Germany, were defaced with swastikas and the phrase "Hitler lives" over the weekend, local police confirmed on Monday, 10 January 2005. The markings were applied using candle holders pulled from adjacent graves.

Investigators said they have no leads. City prosecutors in Kehl have announced a reward of 3,000 euros (about 4,000 dollars) for information leading to an arrest.

The attack follows a series of similar desecrations across the border in Alsace, the French region adjacent to Kehl, where Jewish burial sites have been targeted repeatedly in recent months.

Those incidents have not been confined to Jewish cemeteries. Vandals also struck Christian and Muslim burial grounds in the surrounding area, with roughly 400 graves damaged across all three faiths.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in January 2005, in its own words.