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US-PHOTOGRAPHY-VANDALISM
Statue of US sailor kissing nurse vandalized with ‘#MeToo’
WASHINGTON, Feb 20, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A statue depicting the famous scene
of a sailor kissing a woman in New York’s Times Square as people celebrate
the end of World War II has been vandalized with red spray paint spelling out
#MeToo.
The graffiti covers the ankle-to-knee area of the left leg of the woman
being kissed, said police in Sarasota, Florida where the statue is on loan to
the city.
The vandalism is believed to have been committed Monday, a day after the
death of the sailor in the iconic photo, George Mendonsa, at the age of 95.
In that image, taken by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt for Life magazine,
Mendonsa is seen ecstatically bending over and kissing a woman in a white
nurse’s uniform.
Eisenstaedt has described watching the sailor running along the street and
grabbing any girl in sight.
The #MeToo arose to defend victims of sexual assault, harassment and
abuse.
Sarasota police said there is no surveillance video from the area of the
vandalism and or known witnesses. They estimated damage as costing $1,000 to
fix.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1523 hrs