Police arrested a man in Tel Aviv on suspicion of vandalizing the iconic water fountain in the city's Dizengoff Square Tuesday night.
Police arrived at the scene after receiving reports of a man spilling red paint into the water of the fountain.
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Dizengoff Square water fountain colored in red in apparent act of vegan activism, February 15, 2022
(Photo: Israel Police)
Officers found the suspect — a 32-year-old Tel Aviv resident — in flagrante delicto with buckets of red paint and took him in for questioning for what seems to be a striking display by an animal activist in support of veganism.
This isn't the first time the fountain has been vandalized. Last year, right-wing activists dyed the Dizengoff Square fountain's water red as well in protest of the death of Ahuvia Sandak — a settler teen killed in a car crash during a police chase in the West Bank in late 2020 — and displayed signs saying, "Ahuvia's blood continues to boil."
The case spurred a string of protests over the following year and a half, with some escalating to violent clashes with law enforcement.
(Right-wing activists dye Dizengoff Square water fountain red in protest of settler teen Ahuvia Sandak's death)
Last month, former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit decided to close the investigation into Sandak's death at the dying embers of his term, stating that evidence suggested the officers involved in the incident had no malicious intent in causing the teenager's death.
Israel and Tel Aviv, in particular, have long been considered a Mecca for vegans, with the country's financial hub boasting hundreds of vegan restaurants and businesses that offer an endless variety of vegan-friendly delicacies and products.