Face of Shiri Bibas unrecognizable, Star of David removed in memorial mural
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A mural in Milan, Italy, commemorating the lives of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons — 4-year-old Ariel and 10-month-old Kfir — who were senselessly murdered by Hamas, was torn down this week, just weeks after it was vandalized.
The Star of David was removed and the damage to Shiri’s face left her almost unrecognizable.
“Those who committed this vile act are cowards who despise the West and our values of freedom,” contemporary artist AleXsandro Palombo told Fox News Digital.
HAMAS VICTIM MONUMENT IN MILAN, ITALY, WHERE SHRI BIBALAR AND HIS SONS TARGETED BY VANDALS
A mural by contemporary artist AleXsandro Palombo in Milan, Italy, has been completely defaced. A vandal covered the Star of David, leaving Shiri Bibas’ face almost unrecognizable. (AleXsandro Palombo)
“Removing the Star of David and darkening Shiri’s face means trying to erase history, denying the existence of a people, imposing an ideology that rejects democratic coexistence, and trying to rewrite the present with the ink of fear.”
The artwork in front of the Qatari consulate in Milan was covered in a print last month during a memorial service for the victims of the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Shiri’s face was obscured by an image originally created by Vancouver street artist iHeart. The artwork depicted a child crying emotionally due to the indifference of social media. Vandal used the photo as a basis for creative liberties, adding the phrase “No to War” and a red crosshair over Shiri’s face in the photo.
Palombo called the vandalism an “anti-Semitic act” in a statement to Fox News Digital last week.
A HATE CRIME INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN STARTED AT THE ISRAELI-AMERICAN COUNCIL’S HEADQUARTERS IN LOS ANGELES
The mural of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons was first defaced during a memorial service for the victims of the October 7, 2023 attacks. (AleXsandro Palombo)
“Shooting the Israeli flag that protects children is a way of saying that no place is safe for Jews, even in the heart of Europe,” Palombo said.
“The flag in the mural was not just a cloak that protected the children; it was also a sign of their belonging, a symbol of an identity that embraced them and at the same time revealed them. In this gesture of protection lay the compassion of a people protecting their children, as well as the vulnerability of those who became targets of hatred precisely because of who they were.”
Children’s models were also damaged.
ISRAEL ELIMINATED THE GAZA TERRORIST WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE OCTOBER EVENTS. ATTACK ON KIBBUTZ, YARDEN TAKES BIBAS HOSTAGE
Contemporary artist AleXsandro Palombo told Fox News Digital that he dedicated the mural to Shiri Bibas and her two young sons to defend Western values that he said were under threat. (AleXsandro Palombo)
Palombo learned of the complete tampering through private messages on social media channels.
It is unclear whether the work will be restored or recreated.
“I will respond, as I always have, by continuing my art without taking a single step back, because every attempt at erasure will be an opportunity to reaffirm who we are,” Palombo told Fox News Digital. he said.
Other works by Palombo have been ruined in the past, including murals dedicated to Auschwitz survivor Sami Modiano, Italian Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre, and Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor Edith Bruck.
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“Free, present and determined not to back down even an inch in the face of this tsunami of fanaticism, fundamentalism and crazy radicalism,” Palombo said. he said.
