Amsterdam's National Monument defaced twice in one morning with graffiti and lipstick, two men arrested

What happened

At around 05:15 on Sunday morning, a police patrol on Dam Square in Amsterdam spotted a man spraying graffiti onto the National Monument. The 27-year-old from Hoofddorp was arrested on the spot. While officers were still present at the scene, a second man began writing with lipstick on the rear side of the monument. The 39-year-old Polish national was also arrested. Both men remain in custody and are being questioned, according to a police spokesperson. The monument has been cordoned off with police tape as cleaning crews work to remove the graffiti.

The graffiti included the phrases 'Stop the human traffic' and 'Wake up!' in blue paint, along with a skull. Yellow paint was also used. The background or motive for the action is not yet known. Police have not said whether the two suspects know each other.

Recent history of defacement

The National Monument has been targeted repeatedly. On the night before the Remembrance Day ceremony on 4 May this year, the monument was daubed with red graffiti reading 'genocide'. The paint was removed before the commemoration. Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema called that act "an unbelievably cowardly deed".

In August 2025, the monument was sprayed with paint during a pro-Palestinian demonstration. The Royal Palace on Dam Square was also defaced last October with the slogan 'Fuck Israel'. The Anne Frank statue on Merwedeplein was targeted twice in 2024.

Judicial response

Three weeks ago, a court ruled on the August 2025 defacement. The 25-year-old suspect, Costas V., was found guilty but received no punishment. He was ordered to pay the cleaning costs. The judge described the act as "socially unacceptable and disproportionate", adding that the political nature of the text made no difference. "The monument is not intended for that," the judge said.