WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A swastika drawn in what appeared to be black marker was visible on a monument in Veterans Park on Veterans Day.
The graffiti was on the park’s newer monument, which honors Hartford residents who served in the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the post-1975 era. It was dedicated on Memorial Day this year and completed the work of the Hartford Monument Committee. The park’s other monument, which honors the town’s World War I and World War II veterans and was installed in 2024, was not vandalized.
Last week, a flagpole was installed in the park, completing the Eagle Scout project of a 16-year-old Hartford High School sophomore.
The Hartford Police Department did not respond to phone calls and an email as of Wednesday afternoon.
Vermont recorded 137 antisemitic incidents between 2021 and 2025, according to ADL New England’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. Vandalism made up 33% of those incidents, and swastikas appeared in 53% of the state’s vandalism cases.
Similar vandalism happened recently across the Connecticut River from Hartford.
In September, swastikas and a “Heil Hitler” message were spray-painted at several sites in Lebanon, including near Ledyard Charter School on the Lebanon Mall, a Water Street parking lot, Logan Field and a cemetery on Dulac Street. The first report came in on Sept. 13, the last day of Rosh Hashanah. Lebanon police said they had surveillance footage of two juvenile suspects and that the vandalism appeared to be an isolated act, not the work of an organized group.
