Transphobic, Anti-Semitic Flyers Circulated in Atlanta
Several Atlanta-area communities have been blanketed with transphobic flyers blaming Jews for the rise in transgender visibility.
Several communities in the Atlanta area have been plastered with flyers spouting transphobic and anti-Semitic rhetoric.
According to Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA-TV, the flyers have been seen in the Candler Park and Lake Claire neighborhoods of eastern Atlanta. They have also been seen in the Kirkwood neighborhood, according to a tip the news station received from a viewer.
Atlanta police said they are unaware of any criminal behavior related to the flyers but are increasing patrols in the neighborhoods where they have been distributed.
The flyers are packaged inside plastic bags with corn kernels to weigh them down. One flyer features a transgender Pride flag in the background, and photos of the six victims in the mass shooting at The Covenant School, in the Nashville suburbs, bearing the words: “Six Died for Trans Pride.”
Another flyer asks, “Who is Behind the Rise in Transgenderism?” and features figures or logos from major pro-transgender organizations with a large rainbow-colored Star of David, appearing to blame the Jewish community for the increase in transgender visibility.
That flyer appears to be employing a variation on an old anti-Semitic trope that Jews have pushed for lax immigration laws that have helped facilitate an increase in immigrants from third-world countries in order to “undermine” America’s white Christian heritage and traditional values.
The flyers also contain QR codes that link to websites spouting anti-transgender and anti-Semitic propaganda.
The Atlanta Police Department issued a statement urging people to contact the department if they receive a flyer or see the flyers being distributed — although it’s unclear whether any action can be taken legally, as handing out fliers is usually considered an act protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“The Atlanta Police Department has been made aware of anti-Semitic flyers found in the East Atlanta area. Our Homeland Security Unit was quickly notified and is investigating,” the statement said.
“At this time, we are not aware of any criminal acts related to the flyers. However, their distribution has led to a heightened level of awareness throughout our department and we have increased patrols around where the flyers were found. Anyone who may have observed or received one of these flyers is asked to notify us.”
Those wishing to report any activity related to the flyers are asked to call 404-658-6666, or by submitting tips anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.StopCrimeAtl.org.
State Rep. Esther Panitch (D-Sandy Springs) said she received similar flyers at her residence a little over two months ago, and has heard of similar incidents throughout Fulton and Cobb counties, as well as in Athens, a college town about 60 miles away from Atlanta.
The incident led her to propose legislation earlier this year that would have more clearly defined “anti-Semitism,” but her bill failed to gain traction in the Republican-led House of Representatives.
“It would not have necessarily cut down on the flyers themselves,” she told WXIA. “The definition in the law, which is what the bill is, would help to be able to discern the intent of the person doing it, to know if they went after a Jewish person because they’re Jewish.”
Eytan Davidson, the southeast regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, told WXIA that the organization has tracked a “substantial” increase in anti-Semitic acts in Georgia from 2021 to 2022. He also noted that there has been an increase in anti-Semitic incidents — both physical and digital — throughout America over the past few years.
“There’s a small group of folks behind these flyer incidents,” Davidson said. “They’re just getting more active. The reason they’re doing this is they’re trying to normalize a disgusting, hateful ideology. Extremists are emboldened. For some reason, people have far less or even no shame in espousing wrong-headed, hateful ideologies meant to intimidate people.”
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