ADL Report Details Antisemitic Activity In Arlington

ARLINGTON, MA — There were five incidents of antisemitism or white nationalism in Arlington last year, according to a new data from the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL on Tuesday released its 2019 report on antisemitic incidents in Massachusetts, which documented 114 incidents across 61 communities.

This included two fires set outside of an Arlington rabbi's home and the distribution of fliers from white nationalist group Patriot Front with the phrases "Reclaim American," "Better dead than red," and "Will your speech be hate speech?"

The following incidents were reported in Arlington last year:

Anti-Semitic Incident - Vandalism

10/2019

Anti-Semitic graffiti and messages found in a bathroom at Ottoson Middle School.

Anti-Semitic Incident - Vandalism

07/2019

Two swastikas incised into wooden bench.

Anti-Semitic Incident - Vandalism

05/2019

A fire was set outside the Chabad of Arlington. The building is also the home of the rabbi and his family.

Anti-Semitic Incident - Vandalism

05/2019

A second fire was set outside the Chabad of Arlington. The building is also the home of the rabbi and his family.

White Supremacist Propaganda

2/5/2019

Patriot Front, an alt right group, distributed fliers that read: "Reclaim American," "Better dead than red," and "Will your speech be hate speech?"

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Patriot Front formed after the violent "Unite the Right" rallies in Charlottesville, VA in 2017 as an offshoot of the neo-Nazi group Vanguard America.

Patriot Front has been documented putting up posters or handing out fliers across the U.S. since 2017, from Seattle to New York City. The group promotes an idea of America as a country for whites-only, according to SPLC.

The ADL charted antisemitic incidents on its "H.E.A.T. Map." The number of incidents in 2019 dropped by 21 percent compared to 2018, according to the ADL — but overall incidents in recent years are up sharply from the 50 recorded in 2015.

"The alarming manifestations of antisemitism in 2019 instill fear and are stark reminders that much work remains to be done," ADL New England Director Robert Trestan said in a news release. "ADL is committed to focusing on confronting antisemitism through educational programs and resources, community outreach and law enforcement engagement."