A swastika graffiti was drawn on the base of a statue of the Rambam, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, in Cordoba, Spain, a local politician confirmed on Saturday, following media reports.
The graffiti was painted over the base of the statue, located in the heart of the Jewish quarters of Cordoba, in the Tiberiades plaza, with local authorities condemning the antisemitic attack.
Cintia Bustos, acting mayor of the city, said that the graffiti represented an attack against the city's heritage and lamented "the extreme seriousness of the message of hate it represents."
"The statue of Maimonides [Rambam] in Córdoba appears with a swastika. I have requested that it be cleaned immediately, but it is concerning the vandalism in our Historic Quarter, which attacks not only people but also our rich heritage," added local politician and spokesperson of the PSOE (Socialist Party) Córdoba, Antonio Hurtado.
The city's authorities later ordered a sign to be placed over the painted base of the statue, while work is being done to clean the swastika graffiti.
Spain's Jewish communities react to attack
"Our total repudiation of the targeting with a Nazi symbol of this Jewish, Sephardic, Cordoban, Spanish, universal figure," said the Federation of Spanish Jewish Communities in a Sunday statement.
"The Great Synagogue of Barcelona proudly bears the name "Maimónides," in homage to one of the greatest Sephardic thinkers in history, born in Córdoba," read another statement by the Barcelona Jewish Community, adding that "Maimónides belongs to the intellectual heritage of all humanity."
"Attacking his statue with a Nazi symbol is an attack on our shared history, on the Golden Age, on our culture, on the values of knowledge, freedom, and coexistence that his legacy represents. Hate can never prevail over culture."
The Rambam's statue was placed in Cordoba because he is buried in the city, and the statue was made to commemorate his importance to Spain's cultural heritage.
The statue, made out of bronze, was sculpted by Amadeo Ruiz Olmos in 1964 to commemorate the 760th anniversary of the Rambam's death.
The Cordoba municipality also said that a specialized team would be in charge of cleaning the statue, while Spain's Policía Nacional (National Police) would investigate the case.
Cordoba's suffers attacks against heritage sites
The graffiti is just one of many vandalism attacks that Cordoba's heritage sites have suffered in 2026, not all explicitly antisemitic in nature.
Back in April, ABC reported that Arabic letters were spray-painted on the city's Roman Bridge.
The report also mentioned a situation from two decades ago, where swastikas were painted over the Christ of the Lanterns monument.