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COPENHAGEN - Denmark's iconic sculpture of Little Mermaid was vandalized again on Tuesday night, two weeks after it was painted red in an apparent protest against whale hunting in the country's autonomous Faroe Islands.

A police officer inspects the Little Mermaid statue, seen covered in paint, for the second time in weeks, in what local authorities say is an act of vandalism, in Copenhagen, Denmark June 14, 2017.  [Photo/Agencies]

The sculpture was partly sprayed with blue paint, with a message left on the pavement in front of the statue saying "Befri Abdulle" (Free Abdulle in Danish).
Copenhagen police confirmed the vandalism on twitter, saying they were looking for a suspect "blonde girl" of around 170cm in height.

Police officer Michael Andersen was quoted by local newspaper Ekstra Bladet as saying that a local resident walking the dog in the night caught the statue being defaced.

Tourist guide Cui Lin said the area had been cordoned off when she took a group of tourists there early on Wednesday morning.

Xia Guangpu, owner of a Chinese restaurant, also said he saw community workers trying to clear up the statue.

It was the second time that the statue has been painted within weeks. The bronze work by sculptor Edvard Eriksen was painted red two weeks ago, and the stainer also left messages demanding that the Danish authorities shall "defend the whales of the Faroe Islands."

In 1964, the original head of Little Mermaid was sawn off and stolen. In 1998, she was beheaded again. Also in 1984, she lost her right arm, which was returned days later by two young men.