Date: August 8, 2013

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed deep concern about racist graffiti, including racist expletives and the words “Heil Hitler” and a swastika spray-painted on the base of the Jackie Robinson statue outside the Brooklyn Cyclones stadium in Coney Island.

            Etzion Neuer, ADL Acting New York Regional Director, issued the following statement:

            The defacement of a public statue with words and symbols of hate is an act of intimidation that affects our entire community.  It is that much worse that the attack targeted the statue of Jackie Robinson, an iconic sports legend and an African-American hero who helped to integrate Major League Baseball.

            New York has come a long way in exorcising its racist demons of the past, but clearly we have not come far enough.  This incident serves as a reminder that deep-seated hatred still exists in some segments of our community, and that there is much work to be done in terms of education and outreach to ensure that it remains unacceptable to give voice to bigotry.

            We commend the NYPD and its Hate Crimes Task Force for their immediate response and we hope that the perpetrator(s) will be brought swiftly to justice.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.  Follow us on Twitter, @ADL_News