New Mahatma Gandhi Statue Unveiled Outside US Temple After 2022 Vandalism

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar unveiled a new statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside a temple in Queens here, replacing a previous sculpture that was vandalised twice more than a year ago.

"Last year, the statue of Gandhi that stood in South Richmond Hill was destroyed. But our solidarity and spirit to rebuild was not. Today, we stood with the community to say in one voice: Hate has no place in our city," Mr Adams said in a post on X.

Last year, the statue of Gandhi that stood in South Richmond Hill was destroyed. But our solidarity and spirit to rebuild was not.

Today, we stood with the community to say in one voice: Hate has no place in our city.

We embody the values of justice for which Gandhi gave his… pic.twitter.com/tPUOSzpguj

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) January 21, 2024

"We embody the values of justice for which Gandhi gave his life," he said after the new statue outside the Shri Tulsi Mandir in South Richmond Hill was unveiled last week.

Rajkumar, Adams, and community leaders unveiled the brand new Mahatma statue, which replaced the one that was "infamously destroyed" in a hate crime in August 2022, Rajkumar's office said.

"The unveiling of the new statue sends the message that love will always triumph over hate," her office added.

In August 2022, unidentified persons destroyed the handcrafted statue of Mahatma Gandhi with a sledgehammer at the Hindu temple. The same Gandhi statue was vandalised two weeks before the August 2022 incident, investigating officials had said.

In a post on X, Ms Rajkumar termed the unveiling as a "historic moment for our Richmond Hill community as we came together to show that our love will conquer all hate." "A year ago, I led the Richmond Hill community in an international movement for peace after vandals destroyed our Mahatma Gandhi Statue in a hate crime. Today was a historic moment as @NYCMayor and I unveiled a brand new Gandhi statue at the site. Love will always conquer hate," she said.

The Consulate General of India in New York had strongly condemned the vandalisation and had taken up the matter with US authorities to ensure those responsible for the "despicable action" are held accountable.

NYC Council Member Lynn Schulman said in a post on X that in 2022, a hate crime was "committed not once, but twice, against the Hindu community" in Richmond Hill, with the destruction of the Gandhi statue in front of the Shri Tulsi Mandir.

"Many, including @JeniferRajkumar, @DavidWeprin and myself stood in solidarity against this hatred," she said, adding that she was proud to join with the community to unveil the new Gandhi statue.

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