Berkeley, CA – Police are investigating after hundreds of North Berkeley hills residents found hateful antisemitic messages on their doorsteps Sunday.
Officials say plastic sandwich bags were delivered to random doorsteps filled with messages.
According to police, “this action is the result of a small, fringe White Supremacist extremist group that targets Jewish communities as well as other minority groups throughout the Bay Area.”
The police department says that many cities across the U.S. have been hit with the same messages blaming the pandemic on Jewish people.
In a press release from the department, it said:
“As the center of the free-speech movement, Berkeley has always supported people’s rights under the first amendment. But let’s be clear – the Berkeley City Council and our community soundly reject and condemn ANY hate-filled messages and any inference to discrimination of any kind to any person or group.
To our Jewish neighbors, be assured that as a community, Berkeley will stand up together to reject anti-Semitic messages and all forms of hate speech. The Berkeley City Council stands united in our zero-tolerance position against all forms of hate speech in our city.”
Authorities stand with the council and community against hate.
The department prioritizes hate incidents and hate-crime investigations.
If anyone has information or video footage of the hate-incident, police ask you to call them at (510) 981-5900.
The press release ended with:
“Our campaign, “United Against Hate” has distributed posters to all Berkeley Fire Department fire stations. Pick up a poster to take action to combat these hateful messages and send the message back by placing a poster in your yard or window. “We Stand United Against Hate”.“
