An anti-Semitic flag was found in the Glendale area of Los Angeles on January 7.
The Stop Antisemitism.org watchdog tweeted out a picture of the flag and described it as “an Israeli flag with blood and bones replacing the Star of David along with #COVID19.” According to Stop Antisemitism, the Glendale Police Department removed the flag.
Glendale (area of L.A. with a large Jewish population) – an Israeli flag with blood and bones replacing the Star of David along with #COVID19 was spotted earlier today.@GlendaleAZPD came, removed, stated free speech.@FOXLA pic.twitter.com/m4fzYHAvQv
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) January 7, 2021
Sergeant Christian Hauptmann of the Glendale Police Department told the Journal that the flag was found “on a chain link fence on Caltrans property” and confirmed that it was taken down. He added that the matter has been referred to the detective bureau.
American Jewish Committee Los Angeles Regional Director Richard S. Hirschhaut said in a statement to the Journal, “The grotesque display of an Israeli flag with the Star of David bastardized as blood and bones in Glendale yesterday is an outrageous act of antisemitism. The visual of Israel as the source of the suffering caused by COVID is a modern-day equivalent of the age-old antisemitic blood libel trope. Our nation has seen more than enough hate this week.
“We commend the Glendale Police Department for quickly removing this vile banner.”
In October, the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Rights issued a report stating that anti-Semitic hate crimes had increased by 18% in the country from 2018-19, which they said “was mirrored by a national 2019 Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents issued by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The study found that the number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2019 (both hate crimes and non-criminal hate incidents) increased 12% percent compared to the previous year.”
