Little Mermaid vandalised with Russian flag's colours in Denmark

The Little Mermaid statue, which is one of the most notable landmarks in Copenhagen, Denmark, was vandalised with colours of the Russian flag painted across its base.

On Thursday night, the colours of the Russian flag - white, blue and red - were daubed on the rock on which the heroine's statue from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale rests.

Copenhagen police stated that they visited the scene and “a case of vandalism” was recorded and now they were making attempts to find “traces” in the area.

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The police have started investigating the act of vandalism which is being seen as an expression of support for Russia's war against Ukraine.

The vandalised statue was photographed by a few puzzled tourists on Thursday morning.

The Little Mermaid statue, which has taken inspiration from a character of the same name in the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 fairytale, weighs 175kg (385lb) and has been sculpted by Edvard Eriksen.

According to Andersen's tale, the mermaid, who is the daughter of a mythical sea king, falls in love with a prince and wishes to become human.

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The statue, which is kept in Langelinie's relatively secluded harbour in Copenhagen, has been vandalised several times. In 1964, the mermaid’s head was stolen, and her arm was removed in 1984. In 1998, her head was again removed by vandals, but it was returned later, before getting blown off her perch in 2003.

The statue has been painted several times, most recently in 2020, when a mysterious inscription of a “racist fish” was added to it.

(With inputs from agencies)

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