A mural in Milan, Italy, created to honor Shiri Bibas and her two young sons—Ariel, aged 4, and Kfir, just 10 months old—was tragically destroyed this week. The family was senselessly murdered by Hamas, and this act of vandalism follows an earlier defacement of the artwork.
The mural, which included a Star of David, was severely damaged, with the symbol removed and Shiri’s face altered to the point of being nearly unrecognizable.
“This despicable act was carried out by cowards who loathe the West and our values of freedom,” contemporary artist AleXsandro Palombo expressed to Fox News Digital.
Palombo’s mural in Milan, originally a tribute to the Bibas family, was completely defaced. Vandals obscured the Star of David and disfigured the portrait of Shiri Bibas beyond recognition.
“By eliminating the Star of David and defacing Shiri’s image, they aim to erase history, deny a people’s existence, and impose an ideology that rejects democratic coexistence. It’s an attempt to rewrite the present with the ink of fear,” Palombo stated.
This artwork, located near the Qatari consulate in Milan, had been covered with a protective print during a memorial ceremony last month for the victims of the attacks that occurred on October 7, 2023.
Shiri’s face was obscured by an image originally created by Vancouver street artist iHeart. The artwork depicted a crying boy, emotional over a lack of social media attention. The vandal used the image as a base for creative liberties, adding “No War” and a red bull’s-eye to the photo over Shiri’s face.
Palombo called the vandalism an “antisemitic act” last week to Fox News Digital.
The mural of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons was originally defaced during a memorial service for the victims of the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. (AleXsandro Palombo)
“Striking the Israeli flag that shielded the children is a way of saying that no place is safe for Jews, not even in the heart of Europe,” Palombo said.
“The flag, in the mural, was not just a cloak that protected the children; it was also the sign of their belonging, the symbol of an identity that embraces them and, at the same time, exposes them. In that gesture of protection lay the tenderness of a people defending its children, but also the fragility of those who, precisely because of who they are, become targets of hatred.”
The children’s likenesses were also damaged.
Artist AleXsandro Palombo told Fox News Digital he dedicated the mural to Shiri Bibas and her two young sons to defend Western values, which he says are under threat. (AleXsandro Palombo)
Palombo learned of the complete defacement through private messages on his social media channels.
It is unclear if the artwork will be restored or recreated.
“I will respond as I always have, by continuing with my art without taking a single step back, because every attempt at erasure will be an opportunity to reaffirm who we are,” Palombo told Fox News Digital.
Other works of art by Palombo, including murals dedicated to Auschwitz survivor Sami Modiano, Italian Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre and Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor Edith Bruck, have been ruined in the past.
“Free, present, and determined not to retreat even a millimeter before this tsunami of fanaticism, fundamentalism and mad radicalism,” Palombo said.
