WASHINGTON — On Thursday, vandals targeted the World War II Memorial by pouring bubble soap into a fountain and leaving behind an unusual protest message.
The message, painted in red, read “Clean Hands Dirty $,” yet it remained unclear why a memorial honoring a conflict that ended 81 years ago was chosen as the site for this act.
Thick bubbles rose several feet high from a fountain that commemorates the Atlantic Theater of the war, a theater where the Allies defeated Nazi Germany.
Cody Sargent, a spokesman for the Interior Department, expressed strong disapproval, labeling the act as “disgusting vandalism from deranged losers.”
Sargent further criticized the act on X, saying, “It’s pathetic to deface a memorial to our WWII heroes.”
He expressed confidence that the “incredible [National Park Service]” would restore the site for the many Americans who cherish the nation.
This incident comes in the wake of alleged vandalism at the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where the new swimming pool liner was reportedly damaged.
In June, another vandalism case involved chemicals being used to etch “86 47” onto the Washington Monument’s lawn, a critical reference to President Trump.
