99

News

Little Mermaid doused with red paint

Christian Wenande
May 30th, 2017


This article is more than 7 years old.

Famous landmark suffers again at the hands of unknown vandals

She’s got a red tan at the moment (photo: Pixabay)

Tourists flocking to see Denmark’s most famous landmark, the Little Mermaid, will be met with an unexpected sight today.

Unknown perpetrators have doused the iconic sculpture with red paint overnight.

Copenhagen Police were alerted to its ‘new attire’ early this morning at 06:30.

“I can confirm she certainly isn’t bronze-coloured any more,” said Thomas Tarpgaard, a police spokesperson, according to DR Nyheder.

“Actually, it was Ekstra Bladet [tabloid newspaper] that called in and reported it. So then we drove out there and the Little Mermaid was indeed painted red. We don’t know how long it has been painted red, but it likely occurred overnight.”

READ MORE: There once was a little statue … only she isn’t so little anymore

Aarhus connection?
Tarpgaard said the police are opening up an investigation into the vandalism and that the municipality will be cleaning up the sculpture shortly.

The police don’t have a theory as of yet, but suggest that the paint attack could be politically motivated.

Over the bank holiday weekend, a fierce debate began regarding a contentious artwork in Aarhus that involved painting trees, bushes and grass in one of the city’s most cherished park areas.

It’s not the first time that the Little Mermaid has sustained an attack. It’s been beheaded (twice) and, more recently, had to share the limelight with a naked artist.

It’s fair to say that Copenhagen’s biggest draw has endured more than most sculptures.


Share

Most popular

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to receive The Daily Post

















Latest Podcast

A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”