Swastikas Found Inside Pope High School Bathroom

MARIETTA, GA — Antisemitic messages, including the words "Hail Hitler" and a pair of swastikas, were written in pen on the wall of a boys' bathroom at Pope High School in Marietta last week, according to multiple news reports. The messages were found just a week before the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur.

The photos of the vandalism were posted on social media, apparently as part of a trend in which students vandalize school property and post about it on TikTok, according to a report from the East Cobb News.

A photo shared by the news outlet shows the words "Hail Hitler," and swastikas written and drawn in pen above two urinals.

Rabbi Larry Sernovitz, a Cobb parent and the senior rabbi at Temple Kol Emeth in East Cobb, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the messages amounted to "an attack on humanity."

“Any antisemitism and acts of hatred are an attack on the whole school community," Sernovitz told the newspaper. "When acts like this occur, and we allow silence, then the whole student body is indicted.”

“There is a bigger conversation we need to have within Cobb County and in the rest of our country wrestling with the demons of those who believe we shouldn’t stand up for the minority community and for those who have been persecuted,” he added.

A Pope High School spokeswoman told the AJC the incident is still being investigated.

"Anytime students misbehave, and, in this case, disrespect individual students, people, groups, and their school, we find it unacceptable. The principal has engaged with community groups who have been affected by this student behavior, and all applicable district policy and law will be applied,” she said.

Pope Principal Thomas Flugum said “we will hold those responsible accountable to our district policies and applicable state laws,” in a message to the school community on Friday, according to East Cobb News.

The Pope High School PTSA followed with a lengthy social media statement, that read, in part:

"Many will call these teenage pranks, but these are hate crimes - and destroying property and stealing from your school is a felony."

Pope High School has not responded to a Patch request for additional comment.