Anti-Hamas billboard vandalized in Worcester, police say

Police are investigating the vandalism Sunday of an antiHamas billboard on Interstate 290 West in Worcester, which was spray-painted with the words “freeing Palestine” and other anti-Israel language, officials said.

“We have been made aware of the vandalism and it is under investigation by the Worcester Police Department,” Sean Murtha, a spokesperson for Worcester police, said in an email.

The billboard message originally read, “Let’s be clear: Hamas is your problem too,” referring to the group that launched a surprise attack on Israel Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and abducting some 240 hostages. The Israeli military responded with an assault on Gaza that has killed nearly 21,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry of Gaza.

Vandals spray-painted over the words “is your problem too” and added “freeing Palestine,” according to pictures shared on Facebook by the Jewish Federation of Central MA. Additional language was also spray-painted on the sign.

JewBelong, a national nonprofit organization against antisemitism, put up the billboard, along with dozens of similar ones across the country, to combat the rise in antisemitism, the organization’s website says.

Crimes against Muslims have also increased. In November, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it had received nearly 1,300 discrimination complaints over the past month at its national headquarters and state offices, according to previous Globe reporting.

The spray-painted billboard has since been replaced by Clear Channel, the owner of the advertising space, Murtha said.

Steven Schimmel, the executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts, said in an email that the vandalism is “deplorable.”

“Suggesting that Hamas is anything other than an evil, violent terror organization is unacceptable, and this vandalism must be handled with swift-action and strong condemnation,” Schimmel said.