Antisemitic Anti-Vaccine Posters Found Across US

Antisemitic flyers were spread in several states in the past week in an attempt to link the Jewish faith to conspiracies about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Several flyers were left at the front steps of houses in Springfield, Missouri sometime during the night of Christmas Eve, local newspaper the Springfield News-Leader reported.

At least two dozen flyers were found for several blocks in a neighborhood near Bass Pro Shops, according to the outlet.

"Every single aspect of the COVID agenda is Jewish," the flyers, which reportedly attempted to tie the Jewish faith to false conspiracy theories about the coronavirus vaccine, stated.

Anti-vaccine posters that featured the Star of David — a generally-recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism — were also found in two locations in Los Angeles, California this week, a report by Isreal Hayom said.

The posters were scattered outside the Baba Sale Congregation and in front of a building affiliated with Cedar-Sinai Medical Center, according to the Israeli newspaper. They featured the letters A and V overlapping to form the Jewish symbol.

"Report Anti-Vaxxers, because you care and they don't," the flyers read. They also included a telephone number to an unnamed restaurant in Hollywood.

Local police and city council members condemned the flyers.

The flyers found in Springfield, first reported on social media by resident Jim Lee, were part of a nationwide antisemitic campaign organized by a hate group formed in 2020, according to the Springfield News-Leader.

The group denies the existence of the Holocaust and falsely claims Jews were responsible for the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, according to the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish non-governmental organization.

Hundreds of flyers from the group have reportedly been spotted in at least ten states since the group's founder challenged his followers to spread the posters over the Christmas holidays starting on Dec. 18.

These states included Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Texas and Vermont.

"We strongly condemn this antisemitic propaganda attempting to link the Jewish people to COVID-19. These false conspiracy theories perpetuate harmful antisemitic stereotypes about Jews and have no place in our community," Etzion Neuer, regional director for the organization's Heartland office, said in response to the discovery of the Springfield flyers, which were the first to be reported in the state.

"As hate and extremism rise across the country, we must stand united in opposing bias and bigotry in all forms," Neuer added.

The City of Springfield also "strongly condemned" the flyers, with city spokeswoman Cora Scott saying, "The thoughts expressed do not reflect our inclusive community."

"We believe that false conspiracy theories like this spread harmful stereotypes," Scott explained.

The Springfield Police Department is aware of the situation and is looking into the incident, Lt. Jennifer Charleston said.