‘Such hateful words.’ White supremacist fliers found in Lexington neighborhoods
Religious and civil rights leaders have condemned hateful white supremacist fliers that were distributed in Lexington neighborhoods.
The fliers took aim at Jewish and Black people while advocating for white people to “fight back,” according to a photo of the fliers shared by a local rabbi.
“History has shown that such hateful words against the Jewish community, the African American community, and other minorities must be countered, for if allowed to fester, hateful words lead to hateful deeds,” Rabbi Shlom Litvin, from Chabad of the Bluegrass, said in a statement.
The fliers said that Antifa and Black Lives Matter groups are “destroying our citys and all the time the news makes it seem like they are just peacefully protesting.” The text from the fliers included misspellings and grammatical errors.
The fliers also said white people were “in a war,” and that the group which made the fliers was “fighting for the white race.” They blamed Jewish people for “every anti white post” in the news and on social media. That flier also said “Hitler was right.”
Litvin said the statements made in the fliers about the Jewish community were actually complimentary of the community’s effort to fight racism.
“The Jewish community has placed themselves at the forefront of fights for Justice all over the world,” he said. “Far from shameful, this is a charge that brings our community great pride, and one we seek to live up to.”
The Kentucky chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement Thursday asking, local, state and federal law enforcement to investigate.
“A number of recent reports have indicated that the threat of white supremacist extremism and violence is real and is growing nationwide,” said Waheedah Muhammad, chair of the council’s Kentucky chapter. “This incident should be treated with the seriousness it deserves.”
Cherlynn Stevenson, State Rep. for Fayette County, echoed the council’s call for an investigation, and said “we must take their threats seriously.”
“I am beyond heartbroken that we have this type of hatred in our community & that these fliers were distributed in my district,” she said in a tweet. “This is not who we are.”
Brenna Angel, a spokeswoman for Lexington police, said the department is investigating after a report was filed Thursday morning.
Maria Hafiz, a resident in the Hartland area, told the Herald-Leader she discovered some of the baggies with the white supremacy fliers in her neighborhood. She said there were rocks in the baggies to weigh them down.
The fliers appeared to be made and distributed by 14First The Foundation. The foundation is neo-Nazi, white supremacist group, according to its website.
“It falls on us to step up and defend whats ours,” a statement reads on the foundation’s website.
It’s at least the second time in recent months that the group has distributed material. Fliers from the organization were found in August as well. At the time, a man who identified himself as Ronald Murray told the Herald-Leader that the group was receiving more interest for membership in Kentucky. Murray said he is the vice president of the group. He claimed the group had 40 to 60 members in Kentucky.
“We are a pro-white organization that is dedicated to the improvement, advancement and continuation of the western white civilization that the white race has built,” he said, adding later that “the white race is truly under attack.” He also said the group puts its pamphlets in ziplock bags with a rock and throws them onto properties because placing the material in a mailbox would be illegal.
The group’s name uses a popular white supremacist reference. According to the Anti-Defamation League, 14 is often used to reference the 14 words in a slogan from a member of the “white supremacist terrorist group known as the Order.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2020 at 3:43 PM.