Manchester’s most senior police officer has condemned vandals who daubed a swastika on a pavement in Salford.
The Nazi image was painted in an area with a large Jewish population last weekend.
Chief constable Sir Peter Fahy said: “The use of a swastika in this way is insulting not only to members of the Jewish faith but indeed to the families of all those who fought against Nazism in the Second World War.
“You have to wonder whether people who do this are incredibly stupid and don’t understand basic history or are just evil in wanting to cause fear and distress.
“Hate crime is important because it insults people’s deeply held beliefs and their backgrounds and history and that is why the police see it as a priority.
“This incident is not just about some paint on a flagstone - it has a wider significance because of all the death, destruction and hatred that this symbol represents.”
The graffiti came days after figures released by the Community Security Trust showed antisemitic hate crime across Greater Manchester had soared by 80 per cent in the past year.
CST said it received 309 reports of hate crime in 2014 - up from 173 the year before.
Sir Peter said: “Clearly we are seeking information about people who carry out attacks on people and property because of hatred towards a race or religion.
“The great strength of Greater Manchester is that people of so many different races and religions have come to live and prosper here and our diversity is an example to the world.
“It is important that we all stand up against those who seek who spread hatred and fear and who put out community cohesion in danger.
“Whatever the international incidents, there is a constant level of hate incidents where people practising their religion and going about their business are insulted or sometimes assaulted because of how they look or how they dress. This can never be acceptable.”
