Vandals deface Longmont Army Recruitment Center

The Army Recruitment Center in Longmont, located in the shopping center near 17th Avenue and Main Street, was vandalized sometime before dawn on May 21.

“Any time we have people vandalizing our businesses and our community, we’re concerned about it,” said Deputy Police Chief Jeff Satur.

The graffiti appears to be in response to the recent conflict between Israeli military and the extremist group Hamas in Gaza. 

Tensions between Israel and the West Bank have been a source of strife in the Middle East for decades. The most recent bout of conflict lasted 11 days, after Hamas fired rockets into Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces responded with aerial bombardments of Gaza , according to the AP News.

“There are legal ways to express your freedoms,” Satur said. “I would encourage people to use those legal rights rather than vandalizing property.”

The Longmont Police Department’s investigation is ongoing and no suspects have been identified. Longmont residents with information on the vandalism incident are encouraged to contact the Longmont Police Department at 303-651-8501.

Update/Correction: The article has been updated to accurately reflect that Hamas initiated the most recent bout of conflict.