A bronze statue honouring Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid fairytale has been scrawled with the words "racist fish".
The tribute which perches on a rock in the sea off a pier in Copenhagen, Denmark, was daubed with the words in black spray paint.
The 107-year-old sculpture, which is visited by one million tourists each year, has been vandalised before, including by anti-whaling campaigners and pro-democracy activists, twice suffering decapitation.
Local police say they had not yet identified the perpetrators.
"We consider it vandalism and have started an investigation," a spokesman for the Copenhagen police said.
Protesters of the Black Lives Matter movement around the world have in recent months rallied against statues of historical figures who played a role in racist oppression, such as slave traders and colonialists.
The Little Mermaid has not been part of this debate, but last year a Disney live action remake of the 1989 animated film of the same name, was the subject of a controversy, after African American actress Halle Bailey was cast in the movie's lead role.
The 19-year-old singer and actress told USA she had faced some racist comments over her casting.
"I feel like I'm dreaming and I'm just grateful and I don't pay attention to the negativity," she told Variety at the Power of Young Hollywood gala.
"I just feel like this role was something bigger than me and greater and it's going to be beautiful.
"I'm just so excited to be a part of it."
Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the original, backed the casting of Ms Bailey.
"I think that the spirit of a character is what really matters," she said.
"What you bring to the table in a character as far as their heart and their spirit is what really counts. I think the most important thing for a film is to be able to tell a story."
The movie is set to be released in November 2021.
