Vandalism discovered at ancient graveyard in Mikkeli, Finland

In Mikkeli, Finland, an ancient graveyard founded in the 19th century has fallen victim to vandalism, with spray-painted graffiti on old trees, including obscene images and symbols such as a swastika. Marko Vuorinen, the city gardener, does not believe the vandal’s intention was to disturb the peace of the graves, as the park area hasn’t seen any burials in a long time. He describes the act as potentially thoughtless but nonetheless severe, emphasizing that the final resting places have generally been respected until now.

The affected trees will likely remain standing, despite the difficulty in cleaning them. The soft bark absorbs the paint, making removal complicated and risky, as damaged bark could lead to the tree’s death. Vuorinen considers trying different methods to fade the paint but acknowledges that success is uncertain.

The city is contemplating filing a police report. Timo Häkkinen, a crime commissioner with the Eastern Finland police, mentions that finding the vandal can be challenging without any leads or surveillance footage. Graffiti perpetrators are often identified through their unique signatures, but the police have yet to determine if any identifiable markings exist among the cemetery’s defacement.

Vuorinen urges the public to report any sightings related to the incident, expressing a desire to know more about the individuals behind it and stressing the need for the vandalism to stop. The cemetery has not seen similar misconduct for decades, and past complaints had led to demands for restoration after reports of lewd activities, the specifics of which remain unclear. “Perhaps they were just playing cards,” Vuorinen speculates.