‘Gaza is bleeding’: Protesters vandalise Buckingham Fountain in Chicago

It is believed that vandals dumped a highly concentrated but non-toxic pond dye, causing the entire fountain to turn red

The historic Buckingham Fountain has been closed “under further notice" following a vandalism attack, the Chicago Park District said Saturday. Protesters dyed the fountain's water red and spray-painted certain areas around the plaza. Staffers say the monument was thrashed after 11 p.m. local time when the fountain was turned off. Damage was discovered “in and around” the fountain when officers responded to calls of vandalism, the authorities said.

Chicago's Buckingham Fountain was vandalised by protesters overnight(WBBM Newsradio/ X, formerly Twitter)

Chicago's Buckingham Fountain vandalised overnight

It is believed that vandals dumped a highly concentrated but non-toxic pond dye, causing the entire fountain to turn red, per CBS 2. Slogans like “Gaza is bleeding” and “Stop genocide” were scrawled on the bricks around the plaza. While the writings have been removed, the fountain will remain closed indefinitely for maintenance.

A routine check is conducted every morning before the fountain is turned on. When staffers noticed the issue Saturday morning, the Chicago landmark was abruptly closed, leaving tourists and visitors disappointed. Authorities reported that no injuries or arrests took place.

"I expected to see water! I mean, come on, and yeah, it's a little disappointing," said Tom Martin, who was visiting from Washington. “I'm somewhat sympathetic to what they're trying to accomplish, but this is not the way,” Tom added, per CBS. By Saturday afternoon, the dyed water was drained into Lake Michigan via large pipes, turning part of the lakeshore red.

Meanwhile, Karen Wintz, who was visiting from the New Orleans area, said, “We've been walking all day, and I'm like, what? And so I go to my phone to see what hours it comes on, because I thought maybe it is a night thing—and that's when I found the news article that it had been, I guess, vandalized.”