Hateful graffiti in Bnei Brak: 'Rivlin is a Nazi apostate'
Police launch investigation into hate speech and vandalism; this is the second such incident in a week, after writing describing the president as an abomination and impurity at a holy place was left on a wall at a school in the city
Malicious graffiti calling President Reuven Rivlin a "Nazi apostate" was painted overnight Tuesday on the outside wall of a building in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak.
Police launched an investigation into the incident, and it is believed the act of vandalism and hate speech was the result of an intra-Haredi dispute over the status of the president and the state.
Rivlin addressed the hateful graffiti at a public event on Wednesday, saying "Sometimes, it's not simple to be a public servant. Being a public servant at times puts you in the line of fire."
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein condemned the attack against the president, saying "The substandard discourse that has become commonplace in the country is deteriorating every day and could lead to casualties. This is why everyone should condemn acts such as this and take action against incitement with a firm hand and without mercy."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the graffiti, saying "Writings such as this are worthy of every condemnation and do not belong in public discourse in Israel."
This is the second such incident in a week. Last week, graffiti at a school yard in the city called the president "an idol in the hall," which in Judaism means abomination and impurity at a holy place.
Rivlin had visited the school about two months ago to mark the beginning of the school year. Former Shas MK Yigal Guetta later criticized him for choosing to visit an Ashkenazi school but not a Sephardic one.
Yishai Porat and Moran Azulay contributed to this report.
