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A North Jersey city has covered up Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name on its 9/11 memorial in protest of the war in Ukraine.
The Bayonne memorial, which overlooks New York Harbor from beside an industrial drydock, was a gift from Russia — and Putin was present for the monument’s groundbreaking in 2005.
“We remain grateful to the Russian people for the memorial,” Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis told NJ.com on Tuesday when discussing covering up Putin’s name on the monument. “They did not start the war. Mr. Putin did. The memorial will stay in place on our waterfront. It is not going anywhere.”
Putin’s name was covered up Monday on both the statue and a groundbreaking plaque, Davis said. The mayor said the spots would remain covered indefinitely.
Officially called “To the Struggle Against World Terrorism,” the memorial sculpture was designed by Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli.
It features a giant nickel tear, suspended in a jagged bronze form, atop a granite pediment carved with the names of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. The city lost at least a dozen residents during the terror attack.
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