Police investigating antisemitic fliers in Pasadena and Beverly Hills

Fliers filled with antisemitic theories about the COVID-19 pandemic were found in driveways and front lawns of several neighborhoods in Pasadena and Beverly Hills this weekend, according to law enforcement officials.

The Beverly Hills Police Department said it had received reports about leaflets late Saturday night and that they were similar to the ones that had been distributed last month before the start of Hanukkah.

The flier “contains propaganda-style hate speech related to the COVID pandemic and the Jewish people,” the department said in a statement. More than 200 fliers had been collected.

The fliers mentioned a “COVID agenda” and named several federal health and corporate officials while also noting they were Jewish. “Every Single Aspect of the COVID Agenda Is Jewish,” the leaflets read.

The fliers, which have also been distributed in other parts of the country such as Texas and North Carolina, mark the latest in antisemitic incidents that have occurred this year in Southern California.

In May, several people attacked diners outside a Westside sushi restaurant, shouting anti-Israel slogans and flying a Palestinian flag before escalating to punching and kicking.

Two separate reports of antisemitic graffiti at West Hollywood businesses were made the week of New Year’s Day 2020.

Beverly Hills Vice Mayor Lili Bosse took to social media to express her outrage.

“Once again, words of Jew hatred were dropped on the sidewalks of our city,” she said on Twitter. “As we have fought for ‘Never Again,’ I am sickened to see once again this despicable act occur in front of our homes.”

In Pasadena, city and police officials said they also collected more than 200 similar fliers after residents began reporting them early Sunday.

Lt. Anthony Burgess of the Pasadena Police Department said the fliers were enclosed in a plastic bag with pebbles to weigh them down and had been distributed overnight in a four-block area.

“It appears they were thrown out of a car as they were driving by each house,” he said, adding that the department was investigating.

The Pasadena City Council released a statement saying it would stand united against all forms of hate speech.

“The distribution of antisemitic fliers in Pasadena and other Southern California communities over the weekend is abhorrent and totally antithetical to the values of our city and its residents,” the city said in its news release. “Our thoughts are with our residents and all those hurt by these disgusting acts. We know Pasadena residents — of all faiths — will to stand together and speak out against hatred in all forms.”

The Anti-Defamation League expressed outrage over the incidents in Pasadena and Beverly Hills and said it was in touch with law enforcement agencies to address the situation.