Copenhagen Police confirmed the case of vandalism, which took place in Assistens Cemetery in Norrebro, a district of Copenhagen, on Sunday morning, after receiving complaints Saturday evening. Vandals wrote the phrase 'F*** Denmark' in silver marker in the center of the tombstone.
#Grave Hans Christian Andersen vandalized http://t.co/3fhVra6MD1 via @TheLocalDenmark #Denmark pic.twitter.com/S6xCSqTyYL
— Peter van Brandwijk (@pebra2212) June 7, 2015
Police explained that although the case of vandalism was reported less than 24 hours following vandalism at a Muslim cemetery in the municipality of Brondby, they have yet to draw a parallel to the acts, tweeting that the desecration of Andersen's grave may have taken place before the incident at the Muslim cemetery.
"We don't know if this is an act of revenge. It is curious that these two things happen so close to each other but we cannot draw any other conclusions than that there have been two desecrated burial sites," Copenhagen Police spokesman Henrik Brix told Danish news agency Ritzau.
Andersen is a prolific 19th century writer best known for his children's fairy tales, his most famous works including 'The Little Mermaid', 'The Snow Queen', 'The Ugly Duckling', 'The Emperor's New Clothes', and more. His stories have maintained their resonance with readers over the course of a century-and-a-half, and have gone on to inspire plays, live-action and animated films.
