Brighton 7 October memorial desecrated with faeces AGAIN as murdered Nova counsellor’s photo targeted

A Brighton memorial to the victims of the 7 October Hamas massacre has been desecrated with faeces for the second time in under two months.

The latest incident targeted the photograph of Lior Hadad Atias, a young mental health counsellor murdered while helping revellers at the Nova music festival. His image was smeared with excrement in the “Book of the Dead” display at Palmeira Square, which is maintained by the Brighton and Hove Jewish community and its allies.

In June, faeces was deliberately placed near the photo of Ofra Keidar, 71, murdered on 7 October while out for a morning walk. The desecration coincided with the day her body was recovered from Gaza.

The Palmeira Square memorial has been repeatedly targeted since its creation, with organisers saying it has now suffered more than 40 separate attacks. Acts of vandalism have included ripped pages, graffiti, theft of photographs, and earlier this month, slashed images of victims.

Campaigner Heidi Bachram, who helps organise nightly vigils at the site, described the latest desecration as “disgusting” and said it had her “heartbroken”.

Sussex Police confirmed to Jewish News: “Police received a report of a memorial book having been vandalised at a Jewish memorial in Palmeira Square, Brighton, on Friday (15 August). The damage is believed to have occurred at some point between Thursday evening and around 1pm on Friday. An investigation is underway to identify any reasonable lines of enquiry.

“Anyone with information can report it to Sussex Police online or on 101, quoting serial 759 of 15/08.”

A CST spokesperson said: “This disgusting act of vandalism is just the latest example of the disgraceful levels of hatred targeting a humanitarian memorial for the victims of terrorism. It is utterly heartless and more must be done to prevent it from recurring.”

Despite repeated attacks, local Jews and supporters continue to hold daily services at the memorial, each one dedicated to a different victim or hostage.