Anti-Semitic messages seen at the game in Florida, Georgia and elsewhere in Jacksonville

CNN
–

Officials in the Jacksonville, Florida, area have condemned many of the anti-Semitic messages that appeared in public places this weekend including a soccer field, a highway overpass and a downtown building.

An anti-Semitic message referring to rapper Kanye West was seen jogging outside Tia Bank Field in Jacksonville during a college football game in Georgia and Florida on Saturday, according to a video filmed by a relative of Vic Miculucci, CNN’s WJXT reporter.

In the videothe words “I was right about the Jews” appear while scrolling through the outside of the stadium structure, referring to Recent anti-Semitic comments from rapper Yeformerly known as Kanye West.

CNN has reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office and TIIA Bank Field for comment.

It is unclear how the message was displayed on the stadium wall. It is also unclear how long the message has been visible outside the stadium.

In other videos circulating on social media, the same message also appeared in at least one building in Jacksonville on Saturday night.

On Friday, signs also appeared from an overpass on the highway on Interstate 10 in Jacksonville, according to a tweet from a local reporter. They were also referenced in a statement from Florida Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried.

The banners read “Stop Jewish Sovereignty in America” ​​and “Trumpet if you know they are Jews.”

The language in Jacksonville scroll letters reflects the signs suspended from an overpass of the highway in Los Angeles last weekend By a group they appear to be giving a Nazi salute.

A number of officials condemned the messages in comments on Sunday morning.

“The first step is to ensure that this behavior does not normalize,” Fried said. “Do not print anti-Semitic messages over a highway or anywhere else.”

The Jewish Federation and the Northeast Florida Foundation “condemned and outraged” the multiple antisemitic incidents.

We harness our anger into positive action. The Jewish Federation and the Jewish Foundation were in contact with the FBI, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the St. John’s Sheriff’s Office. “We will continue to work with them to ensure the safety and security of our community,” the group said in a statement.

“The rhetoric that we’ve seen and heard in the past few weeks is alarming and a frightening tactic. However, our biggest concern is that even one person will see this as a call to action and repeat what we saw in Pittsburgh exactly four years ago this weekend,” the union said.

Pittsburgh was the site of the deadliest attack of the Jewish people on American soil, on the morning of October 27, 2018, A man stormed the Tree of Life synagogue and killed 11 people.

US Representative John Rutherford, whose county includes Jacksonville, said in a Twitter statement“There is absolutely no place for this kind of hate in Florida. I continue to stand in support of the Jewish community in Jacksonville and across the nation.”

In a Sunday morning tweet, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Carey He said the city got better because of its diversity.

“Those who spread messages of hate, racism and anti-Semitism will never be able to change the heart of this city or its people,” Carey tweeted. “I condemn these cowards and their cowardly messages.”

The University of Georgia and the University of Florida issued a joint statement condemning the letters.

“We strongly condemn the anti-Semitic hate speech displayed outside TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville after the Florida-Georgia football game Saturday night and other anti-Semitic messages that have appeared in Jacksonville.

The University of Florida and the University of Georgia jointly condemn these and all acts of anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred and intolerance. “We are proud to be home to strong and thriving Jewish communities in the UGA and UF, and we stand together against hate,” the statement said.

Anti-Semitic incidents have been on the rise in the United States for years, with 941 incidents in 2015 and 2,717 He was tracked down in 2021 by the Anti-Defamation League.