Multiple Swastika Graffiti Incidents Occur in New York State
Illustrative Swastikas spray-painted on a building in Washington, DC. Photo: Twitter
Police in Skaneateles, a town in western New York State, have arrested three teenagers who allegedly vandalized a school and graffitied antisemitic messages on other public property, a local outlet reported on Wednesday.
One of the young men, 18-year-old Benjamin Poole, is charged with fourth degree criminal mischief and other offenses. Skaneateles police have not disclosed the names of Poole’s alleged accomplices, two 17-year-olds, nor the charges they received. The incidents took place on March 18.
“This is scary to the Jewish community,” Susan DeMari, an official for the Jewish Federation of Central New York told The Post-Standard. “Bringing awareness to the situation helps to simmer that fear.”
In another incident in Rockland County, 18 miles north of New York City, swastikas were graffitied at Clarkstown South High School, The Journal News reported last week. A teacher found one of the offensive symbols on a classroom bulletin board, the outlet said. School staff located others in a gym locker room and a wall that is just steps away from a classroom in which the school’s Jewish Cultural Club holds its meetings.
Clarkstown Police have reportedly said the incidents could lead to charges of criminal mischief and committing a hate crime.
New York saw the most antisemitic incidents in 2022, with 580, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) annual audit of such incidents. The figure represents a 34 percent change from 2019, when there were 430.
Recently, eight major nonprofits from New York and New Jersey, led by the ADL, created a supra-regional group for sharing and receiving information about threats to Jewish communities in the area.
The group said it has four main objectives, including being the main point of contact for federal and local agencies, informing the Jewish community of New York and New Jersey of potential threats, receiving incident reports on antisemitic hate crimes, and providing Jewish institutions counsel and training on the best security methods.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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