SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego civic leaders Monday released a joint statement condemning the spread of flyers containing antisemitic and homophobic language this weekend.
Mayor Todd Gloria, City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, City Councilmembers Jennifer Campbell and Raul Campillo, and Police Chief David Nisleit also called on anyone with information to contact the San Diego Police Department or Crimestoppers.
"The Mayor and City Council are deeply disturbed by the discovery of antisemitic and homophobic flyers in our neighborhoods. Hate speech, like the language found in these flyers, has no place in our community," the joint statement reads. "The city of San Diego upholds and protects the values of inclusivity and respect for all, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender."
On Sunday, residents in San Carlos, Santee, and Del Cerro were finding flyers on their car windshields with antisemitic messages and statements bashing the LGBTQ community, another news outlet reported.
Residents who gave their names as Adele and Scott told the station they found the flyers Friday in their neighborhood and were greatly hurt by them, bringing Adele to tears.
"I was crying when I first saw these because it breaks my heart that people can be so cruel," she said. "Back in the '80s, I was targeted as a Jew. They put Nazi slogans all on the front of my house in spray paint and spray painted cars and I shied away from my faith because it scared me to be Jewish."
Adele and Scott walked up and down the streets removing the flyers from cars, they said.
One of the flyers reportedly read, "The Holocaust is a Lie Six Million Jews Did Not Die."
"As a Jewish person, they say the Holocaust didn't happen," Adele said. "I lost so many family members that could have been here today because of the Holocaust."
The group Stop Anti-Semitism reported that the antisemitic flyers were dropped on the same street as two synagogues -- Temple Emanu-El in Del Cerro and Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Carlos. Both places of worship have stepped up their security as a result, the group said.
