ADL Report Details Antisemitic Activity In Medford

MEDFORD, MA — There have been four incidents of antisemitism or white nationalism in Medford in the 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.

The most recent incident happened March 10, when white nationalist group Patriot Front distributed propaganda with the phrase "Life liberty victory." 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 the SPLC.

The following incidents were reported in Medford:

White Supremacist Propaganda

3/10/2020

Patriot Front, an alt right group, distributed propaganda that read: "Life liberty victory."

Anti-Semitic Incident - Harassment

09/2019

A Jewish student at Tufts University found a swastika posted on his dorm room door.

Anti-Semitic Incident - Vandalism

09/2019

A synagogue was defaced with swastika graffiti.

Anti-Semitic Incident - Harassment

02/2019

An unknown group or person posted fliers depicting militarized pigs that called for the destruction of "Israeli Apartheid Forces and Amerikkkan [sic] pigs which fund it" at the Granoff Family Hillel Center at Tufts University.

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."