PALERMO- A statue of Giovanni Falcone, the anti mafia magistrate who was murdered in 1992, has been destroyed by vandals in the Sicilian capital, police said.

The bust, which is kept at the entrance to the Falcone-Borsellino school in the Zen area, was found beheaded and was used as a battering ram against the glass door which serves as at entrance the institution to which the statue belongs.

This is not the first time that the bust of Falcone has been damaged. In 2012, the nose was broken and it was found covered in graffiti.. The vandals then went into the school through a window and caused havoc by overturning tables, chairs, desks and cabinets.

“I am very upset by that has happened. I wasn’t at school and I came here to get a grip of the situation. It is a scene which grives me”, said Daniela Lo Verde, the head teacher at Giovanni Falcone dello Zen. “For some time, we have not suffered attacks from vandals, so I am disheartened”.

Police arrived at the school early Monday morning following several remarks from passers-by.  Unfortunately, the surrounding CCTV cameras were not in use. An inquiry will be carried out in conjunction with the incident.

The action of vandalism has been condemned by the institution and anti mafia organisations. Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni vocalised his disapproval on Twitter, writing “To insult the memory of Falcone is a mean and cowardly act”. Giovanni Falcone's sister said "I am in dismay, but we shall not surrender". 

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