Mermaid statue draped in Muslim dress

Sun May 20, 4:16 PM ET

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - The Little Mermaid statue in Denmark's capital was found draped in a Muslim dress and head scarf Sunday morning.


Police removed the clothing after a telephone caller reported it, spokesman Jorgen Thomsen said.

The statue sculpted in tribute to author Hans Christian Andersen draws about 1 million visitors a year and is targeted occasionally by vandals. On Tuesday, the statue's face, left arm and lap were found doused with red paint.

In 2004, someone put a burqa, the head-to-toe Islamic robe, on the statue, along with a sign questioning Turkey's bid to join the
European Union.

The bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen has sat on a rock in Copenhagen harbor since 1913.
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Unknown offenders put a Muslim dress and head scarf on the famed Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen early Sunday May 20 2007, police said. After receiving a telephone call, a police car was dispatched to the site and she was undressed, Copenhagen police spokesman Jorgen Thomsen said. The Little Mermaid was created by Danish sculptor Edvard Eriksen in tribute to Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. Sitting on a rock at the entrance of the Copenhagen harbor since 1913, she draws an estimated 1 million visitors a year, and is occasionally targeted by vandals. (AP Photo/POLFOTO, Andrius Karolis)