Woman wearing swastika armband and hurling anti-semitic abuse at elderly Jewish man could face hate crime
Orange County authorities are recommending hate crime charges against a woman who allegedly hurled anti-semitic insults at an elderly Jewish man who asked her to remove a swastika armband she was wearing. The interaction between the old man and woman escalated into a brawl while several other men tried to remove the woman's armband.
The woman, whose name is not yet disclosed, was seen wearing the Nazi armband while walking around a local community center on March 7 in Laguna Woods. A physical altercation broke out when the 81-year-old Jewish man confronted the woman, and she reportedly responded with anti-semitic comments. Some men joined in and tried to remove the armband from the woman's arm leading to a brawl that went on until the police arrived. Details regarding any injuries related to the brawl have not been revealed by the police.
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The district attorney’s office recommended the woman be charged with criminal threats, offensive words used to provoke a reaction, and a hate crime enhancement. Meanwhile, Laguna Woods Mayor Carol Moore condemned the woman in a statement that said, “The city of Laguna Woods stands firmly against antisemitism, bigotry and hate in all its forms, fully and without exception. The conduct alleged in the disturbance is abhorrent, inexcusable, and antithetical to the character and values of our community."
The Anti-Defamation League condemned the action and tweeted a photo of the woman, showing her dressed in all black with a swastika emblazoned on her left arm.
#Antisemitism has no place in #LagunaWoods and City leadership should stand up and agree. A statement from ADL Orange County/Long Beach: pic.twitter.com/nkULE8YMRC
— ADL Southern California (@ADLSoCal) March 25, 2022
In a statement on Friday, Peter Levi, regional director of the League, said, "We are outraged by this flagrant display of antisemitic hatred. Not only is this Nazi armband and pointed choice to dress similarly to an SS officer offensive, but when called out by a Laguna Woods resident, the offender allegedly hurled an antisemitic slur at the Jewish resident".
He further said, "ADL reached out to Laguna Woods City leadership several times. It has been nearly three weeks and City Leadership has yet to publically condemn this blatant display of bigotry in their own community. "
"We demand that Laguna Woods leaders speak out against this outrageous act of Jew-hatred and condemn acts like this which can and do inspire further incidents of antisemitism and bigotry of all kinds", he added.
The incident comes a month after anti-Semitic fliers were distributed in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and Cypress, all cities within Orange County. The Orange County Human Relations Commission found last year that hate crimes increased by 35% in the region in 2020, the largest annual jump in at least a decade.