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Vandals Deface Paintings and Sculptures at Met Opera, Police Say

By  Emily Frost and Patrick Hedlund | June 25, 2014 3:45pm 

 Obscenities were found spray painted on paintings and sculptures at the Metropolitan Opera, police said.
Obscenities were found spray painted on paintings and sculptures at the Metropolitan Opera, police said.
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Facebook/The Metropolitan Opera

LINCOLN CENTER — Obscenities were found spray-painted on paintings, sculptures and office furniture at the Metropolitan Opera Wednesday morning, authorities said. 

The vandalism was discovered between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. in the Met's adminstrative offices, where the curse words were discovered along with random scrawls on pictures, clocks and desks, police and a spokeswoman for the opera said. 

It was not clear what exactly was written, but "[t]here was little or no permanent damage," the Met said in a statement.

Spray paint was also found near the bandshell at adjacent Damrosch Park, a spokeswoman and police said.

The vandalism occurred amid contentious labor negotiations with employees, as well as the Met's decision not to simulcast a production deemed by some to be anti-Semitic. It was not clear whether the incident was connected.

Police were not investigating the incident as a hate crime, the NYPD said.