A street painting of Simone Veil in the 5th arrondissement of Paris has been defaced again. The author of the work and several political figures have expressed their indignation on social networks.

The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), the country’s EJC affiliate reacted on Twitter: “The cowardice of the authors will not erase the memory of Simone Veil, neither the strength of her commitment nor the legacy she left us. Justice must pass with the utmost severity”.

#Crif – Portaits de Simone Veil défiguré, rue d’ULM.
La lâcheté des auteurs ne pourra pas effacer le souvenir de Simone Veil, ni la force de son engagement ni l’héritage qu’elle nous a laissé.
La justice doit passer avec la plus grande sévérité.

— CRIF (@Le_CRIF) July 28, 2020

The defacement of the painting also caused outrage in part of the political world. Florence Berthout, the mayor of the 5th arrondissement, described the act of vandalism as intolerable, and Ariel Weil, mayor of Paris Centre, deplored the fact that Simone Veil’s face was “erased” on the exact same day that Gisèle Halimi, a lawyer and major figure of feminism, died at the age of 93. 

In Nice, Simone Veil’s hometown, MP Eric Ciotti said “To attack Simone Veil’s face is to attack the Republic and defile the values that bring us together”.

The author has stated that he will restore the painting