Union Station in Washington, D.C. vandalized by Nazi swastikas

The outside of Union Station, Washington, D.C.’s central train station hub for regional transportation was vandalized with a dozens of Nazi swastikas, the Associated Press reported Friday afternoon.

The Nazi symbols were discovered Friday, one day following International Holocaust Rememberance Day. They were spray-painted on the impressive gray cement columns of the otherwise elegant structure at 701 NE First St. NE, across the street from the U.S. Capitol.

Some of the swastikas were painted on columns on the front of the building and others were visible around the escalator that descends into the underground Washington, D.C. Metro system’s ‘Red Line.’

The Associated Press reported that the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police referred questions to the Amtrak Police, which is the law enforcement agency that generally handles criminal matters at train stations. The AP implied a journalist tried to interview someone from the law enforcement agency, but said that “efforts to contact the Amtrak Police were unsuccessful.”

A security officer who spoke to the wire news agency under condition of anonymity said the matter was still under investigation, but implied there could be hope in terms of pinpointing a suspect.

“The guard pointed out that several of the swastikas were painted in spots that were in full view of the building’s security video cameras,” the AP reported.

Station officials were able to conceal the swastikas with white sheets of paper, fastened by blue tape. The spray-painted Third Reich era logos were condemned by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, which posted a statement on Instagram, saying the timing was “particularly offensive, and that, “This anti-Semitic and hateful symbol has no place in our society.”

By midday, staff had begun to cover the swastikas with sheets of white paper secured by blue tape.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington posted a statement on Instagram, calling the timing “particularly offensive” and added, “This anti-Semitic and hateful symbol has no place in our society.”