The statue of the Little Mermaid, one of Denmark's most famous tourist attractions, was vandalized by red paint overnight, the Danish Police said on Friday.
The words "racist fish" were scrawled across the large stone mount on which the Little Mermaid rests at the entrance of Copenhagen Harbor, and large stickers were also placed on the breasts and knee of the 1.65-meter bronze statue.
Sculpted by Edvard Ericksen in 1913, the statue depicts the heroine of a 17-page short story, "The Little Mermaid," written by Hans Christian Andersen.
Over the years, the Little Mermaid, modeled on the sculptor's 32-year-old wife, has unfortunately become a popular target for vandals.
In 1964, she was beheaded. In 1984, her one arm was cut off. In 1998, she was beheaded again.
In 2003, explosives were used to remove her from her stone perch and on several other occasions she has been covered in red, blue and white paint.
