Residents of the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westwood discovered antisemitic and racist flyers apparently distributed by the same group behind a spate of similar incidents in Beverly Hills and across the country.
The flyers contain a link to the Goyim Defense League, a “loose network of individuals connected by their virulent antisemitism,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. Residents in Beverly Hills previously discovered similar flyers on Nov. 28, the first day of Hanukkah, on Dec. 18, and then again on April 15, the first night of Passover.
On May 21, members of the group drove through parts of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills in a rented U-Haul plastered with antisemitic posters, live streaming as they heckled passersby with a megaphone before stopping at the Beverly Hilton.
Officers with the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) engaged twice with the members, according to a summary of the livestream by the hate group research outlet Left Coast Right Watch. The first time, BHPD officers informed them that they were trespassing on private property and needed a permit to use an amplified sound device. The same officers later pulled the U-Haul over after one member had been walking in the roadway and jumping into a moving vehicle. The hate group members were let off with a warning.
The flyers made multiple antisemitic declarations, including, “Every single aspect of the media is Jewish,” “Every single aspect of the Ukraine-Russia War is Jewish,” “Every single aspect of Disney child grooming is Jewish,” and “Every single aspect of the COVID agenda is Jewish.”
The flyers also played on racist themes as well, saying that Jews are “the real slave bringers.”
Jewish groups quickly condemned the latest incident.
“We are appalled by the antisemitic flyers spread in Westwood,” Jeffrey I. Abrams, Regional Director of Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Los Angeles, told the Courier in a statement. “Not only do these flyers claim that Jews are responsible for the spread of COVID-19 and are in total control of the media and financial institutions, but the messaging has expanded to target other minority groups including the Black community. The claim that Black people are somehow equally responsible for the American slave trade is outrageous and particularly offensive during Juneteenth commemorations.
“While the subject matter differs from previous incidents, the harmful intention is the same, as is our response. These hateful, antisemitic, racist messages can and do inspire violence against Jews and other minority groups and it cannot be tolerated.”
Since 2016, the ADL has documented an alarming rise in antisemitic incidents. Four of the worst years for anti-Jewish hate have occurred in the last five years, according to an annual survey conducted by the organization since 1979.
“This spate of flyers comes on the heels of a string of similar incidents around Los Angeles, Kern, Riverside and San Bernardino counties over the last eight months,” Abrams said. “Our county is witnessing an epidemic of antisemitic vitriol. ADL’s 2021 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents showed that vandalism, such as these hateful flyers, increased by 12% from 2020 to 2021. What’s more concerning is that we saw a 28% increase in harassment and a 367% increase in assaults in the same time period.”
