World War I monument in Northeast Philadelphia vandalized, police say

Police are searching for suspects after a World War I monument in Northeast Philadelphia was vandalized.

On Saturday at 10:45 a.m., police received a 911 call reporting vandalism at a monument located on Rising Sun Avenue in Burholme, NBC10 reported. Authorities found red graffiti on the monument, with the message "Hamas is here" written, police say. 

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The monument that was vandalized, the Burholme World War I Memorial, honors people in the neighborhood and others who fought in the war, 6ABC reported. City employees and Burholme residents worked to quickly remove the paint from the memorial.

"It's an absolute shame that we've had this memorial that has been here for years get defaced over some sort of political ideology," Aizaz Gill, president of the Burholme Town Watch and Civic Association, told 6ABC. "And it's wrong. Political ideologies don't give you a reason to deface a World War I memorial. These men gave their lives in defense of our country."

In a statement posted to Facebook, Gill added that the vandalism, which is believed to have happened Friday night, is "totally unacceptable" and thanked the community for coming together to clean up the memorial and "send a message that we won’t stand for this type of criminal protest."

An investigation is ongoing, and police say they will use surveillance video. Anyone with information on the vandalism can contact police.