A Miami City Cemetery memorial honoring Confederate soldiers of the Civil War was vandalized overnight with an apparent political statement.
City of Miami Parks and Recreation Department staff discovered the act of vandalism Friday morning at the cemetery, which is locked overnight and does not have security cameras.
The political statement spraypainted on the tombstone is not clear. The words "Trump" and "antifa" are seen on the top half of the structure, while words including "murders," "killers," "racist" and "rapists" – along with obscene words – are seen on the bottom half.
Antifa – a contraction for anti-fascists – is an umbrella description for the far-left-leaning militant groups is a left-wing, anti-fascist group that opposes neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
The cemetery was founded in 1897 and is the resting place of nearly 20 Civil War veterans, according to Miami historian Dr. Paul George.
City of Miami officials told NBC 6 that park staff has seen incidents of graffiti previously "but never to this extent and, to their knowledge, never to make a political statement."
The veterans were buried at the cemetery in the 1800s but the memorial that was vandalized was installed at a later date, the City of Miami said.
