Bulgarian police investigating Holocaust memorial vandalism in Burgas

Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.

The Monument to the Saviors of Burgas Jews, vandalized with stickers, August 8, 2025 (Alef)
The Monument to the Saviors of Burgas Jews, vandalized with stickers, August 8, 2025 (Alef)

Police in Burgas, Bulgaria, are investigating the vandalism of the city’s Holocaust memorial last week, prosecutors say.

The Monument to the Saviors of Burgas Jews, dedicated to residents who helped save their Jewish neighbors from the Nazis, was plastered on Friday with stickers bearing the image of Hristo Lukov, the leader of Bulgaria’s pro-Nazi legionnaires before 1944.

The stickers were deliberately placed over the monument’s inscriptions, obscuring its message of gratitude and remembrance, says the Center for Jewish-Bulgarian Cooperation, known as Alef.

The defaced monument, located just meters from the Burgas Municipality building, has reportedly remained in this state for several days.

“This is a disgrace to Burgas and to Bulgaria,” Alef said in a statement, calling for immediate cleaning, restoration of lighting, installation of security cameras, and a formal investigation.

Police are working to find the perpetrators, says the Burgas Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

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