Blocks away from the US Capitol, swastikas were found etched with what appeared to be black chalk into the columns surrounding Union Station on Friday. The Nazi symbol was drawn on every column around the transit hub. 

“An investigation is underway after property damage was reported at Washington Union Station,” an Amtrak spokesperson told Jewish Insider. Amtrak Police and the DC Metropolitan Police Department are both taking part in the investigation. “Amtrak strongly condemns this act of hatred and will work with our landlord, USRC [Union Station Redevelopment Corporation] and their lessor to remove these symbols as quickly as possible.”

Some of the vandalism also included references to former President Barack Obama. One said “F*** you Obama.” 

“This antisemitic and hateful symbol has no place in our society, and to find it in our city the week of International Holocaust Remembrance Day is particularly offensive,” The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington said in a tweet. The Washington federation has been in contact with law enforcement, a spokesperson said. 

The swastikas were discovered by a friend of Sheila Katz, the CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women.

“We continue to experience antisemitism on a daily basis and it is exhausting and horrifying,” Katz told JI. “We need more people who claim to be our allies to speak out against antisemitism and we must continue to unite as a Jewish community to fight against antisemitism and all forms of hate.”