Since the election of President Trump, America has seen a disturbing rise of slightly dormant feelings manifesting into actions because it is felt that dog-whistles has given clearance. U.S. Muslims are practically living in fear and the Jewish community, who have historically gone through persecution, now face hateful sentiment again. One week after Jewish victims were purposely omitted from a White House statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a high amount of anti-Semitic vandalism is occurring throughout the nation. Suddenly, swastikas and hateful messages are popping up on buildings and other structures, but New Yorkers are not having it.
One race, one nation, indivisible?
On Saturday, commuters in New York noticed anti-Semitic graffiti and offensive messages like “Jews belong in the oven,” were scribbled all over their Manhattan train. Another message read that finally there was a real man in the White House, a white man and was signed off with a swastika. Commuter Gregory Locke’s Facebook post covering the revolutionary cleanup went viral. Locke wrote that initially, everyone went uncomfortably silent and stared at one another until one guy got up and said that, because of its alcohol content, hand sanitizer will get rid of sharpie marks. Commuters simultaneously searched their belongings for a bottle, along with tissue, and got to work.
Locke, who was amazed by his fellow passengers’ collective stance to fight hatred, said all Nazi symbolism was gone within two minutes. One passenger said he guess this is Trump’s America, but another passenger said not tonight. Not ever and not as long as stubborn New Yorkers have anything to say about it.
America, land of the free to attack
The following are just a small account of recent attacks noted in the United States of America:
- New York – On Saturday, swastikas were drawn on residence hall doors at the New School in New York City where three Jewish women live.
- California – On Thursday, Heil Trump, a swastika, and anti-Semitic graffiti was drawn at a bus stop at the University of California in San Diego.
- Pennsylvania – On Friday, African-American students at the University of Pennsylvania, who had violent threats directed towards them, were included in a racist GroupMe message.
