Berlin Museum Island vandalized with oily liquid, damaging over 60 artifacts including Egyptian sarcophagi

On October 3, an oily substance was sprayed on artifacts at three prominent museums on Berlin's Museum Island: the Alte Nationalgalerie, Neues Museum, and Pergamon. Over 60 items, including Egyptian sarcophagi, sculptures, and frames for paintings, were affected. Christina Haak, the deputy director of Berlin's state museums, characterized the incident as the most significant damage to the collections since World War II. Initially, the incident was kept from the public while efforts were made to contact visitors from that day, complicated by untraceable tickets sold at the entrance. Although the motives are still uncertain, local media have speculated that rightwing German QAnon adherents may be involved. Attila Hildmann, a celebrity vegan chef turned conspiracy theorist, recently labeled the Pergamon as 'the throne of Satan' online, though no direct link to the vandalism has been established. Museum officials noted that the damaged artifacts did not follow any identifiable pattern.