Two Jewish cemeteries in the former East German state of Thuringia have been vandalised. In the town of Gotha, the bloody head of a pig was hung on a Star of David motif on the cemetery's iron gates.

According to the state's Interior Ministry, unknown perpetrators vandalised the cemeteries of Gotha and Erfurt. The damage was discovered at 5.30am on Monday morning by a medical rescue worker who was out walking his dog.

In Gotha, perpetrators left a banner daubed with antisemitic graffiti in red paint, including the words, "six million lies". They threw blood-red liquid on to the gate of the cemetery.

Attackers also poured the red liquid over a memorial plaque at the Erfurt cemetery. According to the Associated Press, police were able to retrieve evidence at both sites. The leader of the state of Thuringia, Dieter Althaus, said: "The full force of the law needs to be applied against this terror."

Recent reports suggest that this year, on the average, one Jewish cemetery per week has been vandalised in Germany.