New York, NY, January 9, 2018 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) announced today it is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for nearly a dozen incidents of swastika graffiti targeting apartment buildings around Manhattan over the past two months.
According to police and other reports, on nearly 12 occasions in the last two months, an unidentified man has vandalized scores of apartment doors with drawings of swastikas, genitalia, and other crude graffiti in apartment buildings throughout Manhattan.
ADL recently expressed concern about the spate of the vandalism, highlighting the need “to not allow such hateful acts to be normalized.” Since then, two more similar incidents of vandalism have been reported, most recently late Tuesday night, January 2. In both cases, swastikas and male genitals were allegedly drawn on multiple apartment doors in buildings in lower Manhattan.
“We hope this reward facilitates the quick apprehension of whoever is behind this upsetting spate of swastika and hateful vandalism targeting New Yorkers,” said Evan R. Bernstein, ADL New York Regional Director. “We commend the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force for investigating these hateful acts. We cannot allow such brazen hate and prejudice to go unchecked in New York City, or anywhere else.”
In the first three quarters of 2017, ADL recorded 167 incidents of anti-Semitic vandalism across New York State, as well as a 92% increase in anti-Semitic incidents in New York City. In the recent findings, New York County (Manhattan) saw more anti-Semitic incidents than any other county, nation-wide.
Anyone with information about the vandalism is encouraged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1(800) 577-TIPS.
The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all. Today it is the world’s leading organization combating anti-Semitism, exposing hate groups, training law enforcement on hate crimes, developing anti-bias curricula for students, countering cyber-hate and relentlessly pursuing equal rights for all.
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