Photos of Holocaust survivors exhibited on a central Vienna street have been defaced with swastikas, drawing condemnation from political and Jewish leaders.

Broadcaster ORF reported Wednesday that ESRA, a group that brought the work by German-Italian photographer Luigi Toscano to the Austrian capital, said several photos were daubed with swastikas and other graffiti on Tuesday.

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The exhibition opened on part of the Ringstrasse, a busy road that runs around downtown Vienna, on May 7 and the group said some portraits were previously damaged with knives.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz tweeted that he was "dismayed by the anti-Semitic defilement" of the photos and called for a thorough investigation.

The leader of Austria's Jewish community, Oskar Deutsch, said that "it is an anti-Semitic attack on all of Austria" and that police are investigating.