Last week, members of the Florida delegation condemned an anti-Semitic targeting Disney’s leadership.
Residents of South Florida reported getting plastic bags full of corn with a flyer with pictures of six Disney leaders, all of whom had the Stars of David imposed on their foreheads and were identified as Jewish.
Every single aspect of Disney’s child grooming is Jewish,” the pamphlets claimed before offering the repeated words “Protect your children.”
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., condemned the attacks and called for prosecuting those behind them.
“These anti-Semitic hate crimes are disgusting and will never be tolerated in Florida. We must stand with our Jewish community and it’s good that the Coral Gables Police Department and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office are investigating. Those responsible should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., noted that residents of other parts of Florida also reported getting the flyers and called for a federal investigation.
“I am deeply disturbed and outraged by these disgusting, hateful pieces of propaganda left at homes in South Florida and across the state – intentionally targeting Florida’s Jewish community,” said Crist. “The bigoted rhetoric in these flyers echo the same anti-Semitic tropes used for centuries and are the same lies used by the Nazi party. As anti-Semitic hate crimes rise across the country, these flyers serve as a painful reminder of the threats posed by anti-Semitism and the very real dangers facing our Jewish communities. We must remain vigilant and root out hateful rhetoric before it turns into yet more violence.”
Crist wrote the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI on the matter last week.
“I write to you regarding extremely disturbing reports in the Miami Herald of distribution of anti-Semitic flyers this week, targeting Disney World executives and lawmakers, and ask for an immediate investigation,” Crist wrote. “The Herald reports that on Tuesday, June 28th, dozens of Miami and Coral Gables homeowners awoke to plastic bags filled with corn kernels. The corn kernels served as weights to hold down paper pictures of six Disney World executives with blue Stars of David stamped on their foreheads and the word ‘Jewish’ in capital letters under their names. The Herald reported that the pamphlets said, ‘Every single aspect of Disney’s child grooming is Jewish’ and ‘Protect your children.’
“Additionally, anti-Semitic flyers focusing on gun control and immigration were unloaded on other homeowners’ lawns, with such hateful messages as ‘Every single aspect of mass immigration is Jewish.’ A similar message regarding gun control was printed next to pictures of lawmakers. According to the Herald and WPBF 25 News, these fliers were also found in Orlando, Fort Pierce, Jacksonville, Boca Raton, and Vero Beach. Flyers at the latter two locations included anti-Semitic messages about media control and COVID-19,” Crist continued.
“While the Herald reports that local law enforcement is looking into the current anti-Semitic attacks, and Miami-based FBI public affairs officer James Marshall indicated the FBI is aware of the pamphlets, the apparent widespread coordination warrants a fulsome national investigation. The Herald reported that California, Colorado and Texas had similar distribution of hate materials, and the publication of an anti-Semitic website address was found on materials throughout these states. Reportedly, the FBI is investigating a January incident where anti-Semitic flyers were distributed in South Florida and across the country,” Crist wrote.
“These blatant anti-Semitic acts are dreadful, alarming, and warrant an immediate and thorough investigation. According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents were up 34 percent in 2021 nationwide – including an over 50 percent increase in Florida! We know from the horrors of the Holocaust that anti-Semitism and bigotry can quickly escalate from hateful ideas and rhetoric to violence, systematic discrimination and even genocide. We must stop anti-Semitism and hate in its tracks,” Crist wrote in conclusion. “Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.”
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