The statue of Anne Frank – made by artist Jet Schepp – stood on the ‘Reina de Holanda’ square next to the Dutch embassy in the Argentine capital. The statue was unveiled in 2014 in the presence of Holocaust survivor and rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, among others. On Friday it turned out that the statue had been stolen. From that moment on, the Dutch embassy had intensive contact with the police and the city council, including the local Minister of Security Affairs. The theft also caused quite a stir in the Argentine media.
Less than twelve hours after the disappearance, the statue surfaced in ‘Barrio 31’, a poor and dangerous neighborhood in the capital. The image could be found quickly thanks to the camera images available on the relevant square. The motive and the perpetrators are not yet known.
According to the Minister of Security Affairs, the statue will return to its original location as soon as possible. In a response, the embassy says it is relieved that ‘this important symbol’ is back.
Copper and bronze are currently very popular among thieves in Argentina, which has been hit hard by an economic crisis.