January 25, 2013

THE HAGUE, the Netherlands (JTA) — Workers in a Dutch town braved thin ice to remove Nazi symbols etched into the surface of a frozen lake.

The workers first attempted to walk to the area where unidentified persons had carved the Nazi salutation “Sieg Heil!” and swastika into the ice, according to a Jan. 23 report in the AD/Rotterdams Dagblad, a local daily.

The workers quickly left the ice when it began to crack under their weight. Another failed attempt followed, involving a long coarse brush lowered to the etchings from a nearby bridge. The fire brigade were called but could offer no assistance. 

Eventually, the lightest worker in the municipal cleaning team ventured onto the ice attached to a rope held by his colleagues on the bank. He removed the entire symbol and slogan except for the exclamation mark, the paper reported. 

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