Office of Tel Aviv mayoral candidate vandalized with swastikas

Police open investigation after Nazi symbols found scrawled on Asaf Zamir’s election HQ; campaign links incident to deputy mayor’s rising popularity

By ToI Staff 13 October 2018, 8:44 pm

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Swastikas discovered daubed on campaign office of Tel Aviv mayoral candidate Asaf Zamir on October 14, 2018. (Rov Hair campaign, courtesy)

The campaign headquarters of Tel Aviv mayoral candidate Asaf Zamir was vandalized with swastikas Saturday evening.

Photos of Zamir’s office on Ibn Gvirol street showed the Nazi symbol scrawled in red paint on the windows and campaign posters defaced.

Police said in a statement that officers were at the scene and that an investigation into the vandalism had been opened.

Zamir’s campaign condemned the incident, linking it to his recent rise in the polls.

“We are sorry to see that as support for Zamir for mayor of Tel Aviv increases, we are exposed to hatred of the most despicable kind,” the campaign said in a statement, according to Hadashot news.

Asaf Zamir, candidate for Tel Aviv mayor, speaks at a campaign rally in Tel Aviv, on October 6, 2018. (Tomer Neuberg/FLASH90)

Zamir, 38, has held position of deputy mayor under Ron Huldai for the past 10 years, but ditched his mentor earlier this year and announced he was running independently against him.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai in Tel Aviv, October 31, 2017. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

Earlier this week, two major polls showed that Zamir was closing the gap with his former boss.

A poll by Hamekoman released on Thursday showed Zamir was almost 6 points behind Huldai, and an Israel Hayom survey released the same day showed the deputy mayor trailing the mayor by seven points.