Danish police on Friday were probing an act of vandalism targeting the 1.25-metre high Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, news reports said.
The text "Racist Fish" was sprayed on the rock that the statue rests on, tabloid Ekstra Bladet reported.
It was not known when the incident took place, but the iconic waterside statue has over the years been targeted by various vandals and protesters who have painted it, and even chopped off its head and an arm. It was once draped in a burka.
In January, the words "Free Hong Kong" were painted in red on the base of the statue.
The statue was unveiled in 1913 and inspired by one of the fairy tales penned by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen.
Other statues in Denmark have also been recently vandalized, including a statue of Danish-Norwegian missionary Hans Egede in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, that was doused in red paint. Egede is credited with founding Nuuk, capital of Greenland, in 1728.
