Police Warn Minorities: Be Vigilant on Saturday’s ‘National Day of Hate’

Author: Christopher Wiggins

Law enforcement officials across the United States are warning Jewish communities to be vigilant this weekend as police forces increase their patrols of Jewish spaces ahead of a planned Day of Hate scheduled for Saturday, targeting those communities.

Neo-Nazi, far-right extremist, and white supremacist groups have encouraged their followers to distribute anti-Semitic banners, stickers, flyers, and graffiti on Saturday during what they bill as a “national day of hate.”

The potential threat of protests and violence comes as extremist groups across America have become emboldened to spew their vitriol against minority communities, including communities of color and Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities.

For example, neo-Nazis harassed theatergoers ahead of a Broadway showing of Parade on Tuesday night, New York City’s NBC station WNBC reports.

Outside the Bernard Jacobs Theater on West 45th Street, those who demonstrated yelled, carried banners and handed out fliers that claimed the show glorifies pedophilia.

This musical revival tells the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man lynched in 1915 after being wrongfully convicted (and later cleared) of raping and murdering a 13-year-old girl.

Jews experienced more harassment, vandalism, and violence in 2021 than at any time in modern American history, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The right embraced anti-Semitism during the Trump administration, as the former president winked at and nudged the alt-right and its opposition to “globalists” — a dog-whistle slur referring to Jews — and asserting that both sides of Charlottesville had fine people.

In addition, a white nationalist live streamer, Nick Fuentes, created a large online audience for white nationalists over time, providing anti-Semites a platform to express themselves.

During a November visit to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the former president welcomed Fuentes and Ye, the anti-Semitic musician formerly known as Kanye West.

The Anti-Defamation League tweeted about Saturday’s planned events.

“The nationwide extremist “Day of Hate” campaign planned for this Saturday is meant to be intimidating and divide us, but we will remain united in our kindness and positivity.”

Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C., police officials have all said there are no credible threats to their cities but that departments would increase their presence around sensitive areas.

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Christopher Wiggins