Accused New Zealand Cemetery Vandal Is Cleared
Image by getty images
Police in New Zealand say charges will be dropped against one of the three men arrested in last month’s attack on an historic Jewish cemetery.
Auckland police released a short statement Monday, saying the charge of willful damage against 23-year-old Nathan Symington will be withdrawn as there was “insufficient evidence to carry a robust prosecution.”
More than 20 headstones at the Jewish cemetery in Auckland were vandalized with anti-Semitic and anti-Israel graffiti, many with swastikas and some with the numbers “88” – code for “Heil Hitler.”
Symington had told the Auckland District Court he was innocent, his only connection being a photo of the vandalism sent to him by a friend and which he later posted on Facebook.
“I feel like killing myself over this,” he said at the time. “My name’s been shamed.”
But police said they will continue their case against the other two defendants, whose names have been suppressed. The two men, ages 19 and 20, are expected to appear in court on Nov. 13.
Under bail conditions, they are banned from associating with each other and prohibited from visiting any cemetery, synagogue or Jewish school.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
