Graffiti, including “antisemitic phrases,” was found spray-painted at a Montgomery County, Maryland, elementary school and a nearby building Sunday morning, police said.
Montgomery County police said officers were called to Bethesda Elementary School at 7600 Arlington Road around 7:14 a.m. for a report of vandalism that happened “during the overnight hours.” It said similar graffiti was also found at a nearby building at 4900 Del Ray Avenue.
Neighbors and Jewish community members wasted no time in responding.
Montgomery County Council President Andrew Friedson told WTOP he saw “disturbing photos” of the graffiti left outside of the school. The school is also the site for a weekly farmer’s market he often attends on Sunday mornings.
Friedson said he immediately notified the police and Montgomery County Public Schools, as well as Bethesda Urban Partnership, who began leading the cleanup efforts early.
“I will say, there were a large number of residents, including children, who were helping and supporting the efforts from the Bethesda Urban Partnership team and others who are cleaning the graffiti,” he added.
The police department’s second district commander posted about the incident on social media.
Huge thank you to our friends @BethesdaUP. Several sites in the downtown area were marred by hate speech in the early morning hours. BUP cleaned as quickly as possible. If you have information about this event-please contact: https://t.co/GOB9Q72RSH pic.twitter.com/eWQIelTBx8
— 2D Commander (@2dCommander) August 11, 2024
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich lambasted the vandalism and implored anyone with information to come forward.
“I was disgusted by the hate-filled vandalism that we saw in Bethesda yesterday. While individuals may have strong opinions and feelings about events in the Middle East, hate speech and vandalism are not acceptable outlets for any type of political concerns or comments,” Elrich said in a statement, adding, “I encourage anyone with information about the perpetrators to contact the Police Department at the non-emergency number at 301-279-8000. Hate has no place in Montgomery County.”
Montgomery County has seen a number of antisemitic and other forms of hate speech in recent years, including high-profile incidents at Magruder High School and Westbrook Elementary School, both in Bethesda.
“As we are only two weeks away from the start of the school year, it is imperative that we recognize the emotional harm actions like this have on everyone. I understand that this incident may have caused fear or concern, and I ask us all to have the necessary discussions to bring us together, to foster unity rather than division,” said Bethesda Elementary School Principal Lisa Seymour in a statement.
“This action is not only offensive but is divisive and goes against our school district and community values in every sense. Our schools must remain a safe place for all students, families, and staff,” she said.
Police said they have “no suspect descriptions” at this time and they are actively investigating the incident.
In addition to police and the school system, Friedson said the Anti-Defamation League of Greater Washington and Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) were also involved in the response.
“It is appalling that so many families simply trying to enjoy the Bethesda Central Farm Market instead had to be subject to — and then voluntarily step in to help clean — hateful and antisemitic messages accusing Israel of raping women and children,” Guila Franklin Siegel, chief operating officer of the JCRC, said of the graffiti.
“Unfortunately, these messages — like the recent arson attack on the Jewish Museum in Baltimore — are a stark reminder that antisemitism as an ideology is still pervasive and not so easily erased,” she added. “We hope the perpetrators of this outrageous desecration of school property are apprehended and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
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