A homeowner in Sacramento’s River Park has drawn ire from neighbors and Jewish organizations for placing anti-Semitic imagery on his front door and windows.
The Anti-Defamation League and others blasted the display of two Israeli flags with swastikas in place of the Star of David and an American flag with a swastika in place of the 50 stars. The homeowner also has a Palestinian flag on his lawn.
Barry Broad of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region told KCRA-TV News that there is “no more potent a symbol of hatred than the swastika. It is a symbol of murder and genocide.”
Seth Brysk, ADL Central Pacific regional director, added in a statement, “Such a gratuitous and offensive display of swastikas has no place in Sacramento or anywhere else. Of course the Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of speech, including bigoted and anti-Semitic expressions like these. However, using the symbol of Nazism to make a political point is repugnant and highly inappropriate.”
KCRA reported that the homeowner refused to remove the flags and called them “art.” The station also reported that local police have told neighbors there is little they can do about the display.