ALEXANDRIA (updated)- The family of an Egyptian woman killed by a racist in Germany last year, slammed the vandalism of her memorials on Friday as a sign of racism. "The destruction of the morials is a sign of racialism in Germany, which many denied during the trial of Marwa's killer," said Tareq el-Sherbini, the brother of Marwa, an Egyptian pharmacist killed in a courtroom in Dresden, Germany, last year. Tareq added that he would lodge a request with the German authorities through the family's lawyer that the vandalists of the memorials should be arrested and brought to justice. Marwa el-Shirbini, 31, was dubbed the "headscarf martyr" in some Islamic nations after a Russian-born, self-confessed racist stabbed her to death in July 2009 inside the Dresden courtroom. He was on trial for insulting her over her Islamic dress and appearance. Buerger Courage, an anti-racist group, this month erected 18 small concrete pillars, shaped like upwards-pointed knife blades, at different places in the German city to make people think about the murdered young Egyptian mother. Two pillars were overturned and smashed at some point in the past few days by persons unknown. A police spokeswoman said a third pillar was found smashed near the city rail terminal on Thursday night. The civic group said that the damage to their art installation, which was entitled Achtzehn Stiche, was "malicious, deliberate, politically motivated destruction." They added that plaques on the pillars which denounced neo-Nazis had also been stolen. Police said the inquiry was still at an early stage and it was too soon to say if the evidence showed a political motive. The city has opened an official monument to el-Shirbini inside the courthouse where she was stabbed. Achtzehn Stiche had official approval, but was treated as a temporary art show. The unemployed man who killed el-Shirbini is serving a life sentence for murder.
