LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA – Homophobic, antisemitic graffiti has been discovered on a highway overpass in Lafayette, California. The apparent act of vandalism occurred on the El Curtola Boulevard overpass above Highway 24.
The graffiti read, in part, “Trump F**s Stand Here,” “From the River To the Sea,” “Go Su** More Nazi D**k,” “Retards” and “Free Palestine.”
As the Bay Area Telegraph reported, the overpass had previously been used by peaceful pro-Israel protestors calling for the return of 240 hostages, including children and Bay Area residents, held by Hamas.
The graffiti was discovered a day after pro-Israel protests, suggesting that it may be a response to the presence of pro-Israel protestors, or possibly a message directed to them, although this could not immediately be confirmed.
The graffiti contains several words and phrases that constitute discriminatory speech. The use of the word “f**” is considered discriminatory by the US Department of Labor and many LGBTQ groups.
According to the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), the use of the phrases “From the river to the sea” and “intifada” are considered “hateful terminology.”
”Intifada means “uprising” in Arabic. The last intifada occurred in the early 2000s when Palestinian terrorists attacked Jewish civilians inside of Israel, using suicide bombers in buses, cafes, nightclubs, and other locations. Many Israelis died or were injured. This call to “intifada” evokes those murders and does not represent a call for peaceful or civil protest. Instead, whether intentionally or not, it is an inciting call to violence against Jews,” a JCRC guide says.
Jeremy Russell of the JCRC told the Bay Area Telegraph “From river to the sea is generally understood as a call for the destruction of Israel, and intifada is a reference to violent protests in Israel and often a call to violence against Jews generally.”
The appearance of antisemitic graffiti with nazi references is not an isolated occurrence. An anti-Israel protestor was spotted with a swastika flag at a rally in San Francisco previously.
The graffiti also appears to incorrectly link pro-Israel protestors with supporters of Donald Trump. Trump supporters had used the same overpass for protests previously, but the recent pro-Israel protests were not associated with Trump, according to our reporting.
