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Police investigate after antisemitic flyers distributed in Dunwoody, Sandy Springs

Crime and public safety DeKalb County Trending

Police investigate after antisemitic flyers distributed in Dunwoody, Sandy Springs

DeKalb County Georgia. Source: Google Maps.
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Atlanta, GA — Police are investigating the distribution of antisemitic flyers to homes in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs, Atlanta News First reported.

Georgia State House Rep. Esther Panitch said three flyers were left in her driveway on Sunday, ANF reported.

“It’s unsettling. To have the place that you’re supposed to feel the most at peace…to have that place targeted by somebody whose goal is to destroy your people, I mean that’s your stated goal is to rid the world of Jews, it’s unsettling,” Panitch told ANF.

Panitch is the only Jewish member of the Georgia General Assembly, ANF reported. The TV station reports that she and state Rep. John Carson (R-Marietta) recently introduced a bill that provides an official state definition of antisemitism. If passed, it could trigger enhanced penalties under the state’s new hate crime law, ANF reported.

Local officials condemned the flyers.

“On behalf of the Dunwoody City Council, I want to assure everyone that hateful, divisive, and anti-Semitic rhetoric has no place here,” Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch said. “Dunwoody is a community that values our diversity and is home to people of all faiths, races, ethnicities, and more. We live, work, serve and play together. At our Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Jews, Christians, and Muslims worked together planting daffodils in memory of those who perished in the Holocaust. I stand with our Jewish community and all who face intolerance. I believe that love always conquers hate. Please be good to each other.”

The mayor posted a photo of the flyer on her Facebook page:

The Dunwoody Police Department is “actively investigating” the incident, the police chief says.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that, “The fliers are being distributed by antisemitic groups, such as the Goyim Defense League and White Lives Matter, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism.”

According to experts interviewed by the AJC, the organizations behind these flyers often perform “stunts” like the flyer distributions, searching for attention. Another objective is to desensitize people to these kinds of images, the AJC reported.

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