Pro-Hong Kong graffiti painted on Copenhagen's Little Mermaid statue

Copenhagen's Little Mermaid statue is seen after it was doused in graffiti on Jan 13, 2020. PHOTO: REUTERS

COPENHAGEN (AP) - Copenhagen's famed Little Mermaid statue was found doused with pro-Hong Kong graffiti early Monday (Jan 13).

Three lines in red, reading "Free Hong-Kong" were painted on the rock on which the bronze sits, next to the same text in white.

Police were seen searching for clues in the the area with flashlights and a dog after the pre-dawn vandalism was reported. No one has been apprehended.

The Little Mermaid was created in tribute to the Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. Sitting on a rock at the entrance of the Copenhagen harbour since 1913, she has been a popular target for vandals, who have blown her off her perch, beheaded her and painted her.

In 2010, the statue was the centrepiece of Denmark's official pavilion at the World Exhibition in Shanghai for a six-month period.

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