Hate spreading across SoCal

LOS ANGELES - Law enforcement agencies and civic governments across Southern California are cautioning residents to be aware that antisemitic flyers and posters filled with hate speech are being distributed in driveways of homes or posted in public spaces.

Earlier this week, several plastic bags containing leaflets with antisemitic messages were left on driveways of homes throughout the city of Redlands in San Bernardino County.

The San Bernardino Police Department is investigating the leaflets, and the local chapter of the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a statement condemning the hateful flyers:

“We are extremely alarmed by this disturbing show of antisemitism. Hate has no place in our society, much less in our neighborhoods and homes, where people should feel safe, respected, and free from discrimination,” said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush.

Huntington Beach residents also have reported seeing antisemitic flyers that may have matched the description of those found in San Bernardino County KTLA reported.

Huntington Beach Councilmember Natalie Moser posted photos of the offensive flyers on her Twitter account Wednesday, which she said were left overnight in the yards of residents who live near Edison High School.

The flyers pictured showed images of politicians, artists, members and advocates of the LGBTQ+ community, many of which were emblazoned with the Star of David on their foreheads.

The top of the flyer reads: “Every Single Aspect of the LGBTQ+ Movement is Jewish.”

The offensive media was dispersed during June, which is recognized in California and much of the country as Pride Month, and comes at a time when members of that com-

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munity have been under fire by anti-LGBTQ activists.

Last week, three people were arrested outside a Glendale Unified School District board meeting after fights between pro- and anti-LGBTQ protesters erupted during a vote by the school board to recognize June as Pride Month.

The flyers also come on the heels of a record number of instances of antisemitism and hate crimesin California and the Los Angeles area, according to an audit publishedby the Anti-Defamation League.

Moser urged all Huntington Beach residents who come upon any of the offensive flyers or pamphlets to immediately contact the city’s police department. She also urged residents to report the incidents as a hate crime through the Orange County Human Relations website.

Huntington Beach Mayor Tony Strickland released a statement through the city’s public information office in which he condemned the antisemitic flyers and said the messages conveyed do “not reflect the values or ideas we believe here in Huntington Beach.”

“Hateful rhetoric or prejudice of any kind is inexcusable and we have zero tolerance for it within our community,” Strickland said. “I know that I speak for all of my fellow City Council Members in condemning not only this flyer but all instances of hate within our City.”

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