The Russian flag is painted on the stone where the Little Mermaid sits on, in Copenhagen, Denmark, 02 March 2023. The Little Mermaid was created by the sculptor Edvard Eriksen and modeled after his wife, Eline. EFE/EPA/IDA MARIE ODGAARD

The Russian flag is painted on the stone where the Little Mermaid sits on, in Copenhagen, Denmark, 02 March 2023. The Little Mermaid was created by the sculptor Edvard Eriksen and modeled after his wife, Eline. EFE/EPA/IDA MARIE ODGAARD

Russian flag colors sprayed on Denmark’s Little Mermaid statue

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Copenhagen, Mar 2 (EFE).- The colors of the Russian flag were daubed onto the base of the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, one of the most popular tourist spots in the Danish capital.

Danish police on Thursday opened an investigation into the act of vandalism against the statue, which is located near the Langelinie port and visited by over a million tourists a year.

People pose for a picture with the vandalized Little Mermaid statue, with the Russian flag painted on the stone where it sits on, in Copenhagen, Denmark, 02 March 2023. EFE/EPA/IDA MARIE ODGAARD

The 110-year-old bronze statue, inspired by the namesake fairy tale by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, has often been vandalized in the past.

A woman takes a picture of the vandalized Little Mermaid statue, with the Russian flag painted on the stone where it sits on, in Copenhagen, Denmark, 02 March 2023. EFE/EPA/IDA MARIE ODGAARD

The Little Mermaid has been decapitated three times, had an arm torn off, and was even blown up from its granite pedestal. It was also painted in various colors, dressed in soccer jerseys, a headscarf, and a Ku Klux Klan robe.

After drawing feminist anger for decades, the Little Mermaid has served as a canvas for all kinds of political slogans, from squatting movements to xenophobic groups.

The Russian flag graffiti comes amid Denmark’s support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion.EFE

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