Orange County Human Relations Commission denounces the distribution of antisemitic flyers throughout Orange County
(March 11, 2022) According to the 2020 Orange County Hate Crimes Report, in 2019 there were 94 hate incidents and 12 hate crimes related to antisemitic discrimination. This is a 50% increase over the prior reporting period. Throughout history, during times of uncertainty, some individuals seek to cast blame. Recently, antisemitic flyers were distributed in neighborhoods in Orange County at the homes of our neighbors who are Jewish and are not. The flyers include language that blames the Jewish community for the ongoing pandemic. We have seen throughout history, including the Holocaust, when the Jewish community is stereotyped and thus have experienced hate, discrimination, violence, and death. Once again, hate was brought to the very places where we should feel safest, our homes.
Hate speech and hate incidents must not go unchecked. Such actions perpetuate feelings of vulnerability, misunderstanding and fear, not only for the Jewish community but for anyone who may have woken up to having the flyers placed at their homes which should be places of sanctuary and comfort. The pandemic has given rise to unprecedented numbers of incidents in which individuals are dehumanized and harmed. We must not let such acts go unnoticed or unaddressed simply because a hate incident is not a hate crime.
Once again, we pledge to work with the community to address the root causes of hate. The mission of the Orange County Human Relations Commission is to “seek out the causes of tension and conflict, discrimination and intolerance and attempt to eliminate those causes.” We believe in everyone is right to live free of racism, hate, discrimination, and bigotry not only in Orange County but beyond. These types of repugnant acts of hate speech and racism demonstrate the need to assess our past, acknowledge past instances of hate, intolerance, and racism and recommit to the promotion of tolerance, equity and condemning all types of hate.
If you have been a victim or know someone who has been a victim of a hate incident, please call Orange County Human Relations confidential hotline at 714-480-6580 or via our online portal at https://www.splash.ochumanrelations.org/hatecrime/report/
For more information: Contact: Norma López (714) 480-6594 | norma@splash.ochumanrelations.org
This document does not represent an official county position and has not been approved or endorsed by the County of Orange or the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
