A local town meeting was interrupted by a hateful outburst on Tuesday when someone reportedly shouted an antisemitic slur, displayed a swastika on their Zoom screen and appeared to give a Nazi salute, according to police who are investigating.
Winthrop town officials are condemning the “Zoombombing” during the Town Council meeting. The unidentified person interrupted the meeting during a discussion about the town’s flag flying policy.
The individual reportedly used an ethnic slur that’s described by the American Jewish Committee as being used by white supremacists to denigrate Jewish people. The hateful outburst is now the subject of a police investigation.
“During a civic discussion on the flying of flags on town property, an individual seized the meeting to use it as a platform for hate speech and to display symbols of hate, intimidation and nazism,” said Town Council President James Letterie.
“We condemn this act and all acts of hatred in or around our community, and we will always call out and condemn hatred in all its forms,” the council president added. “There is no place for it here in Winthrop.”
Antisemitic incidents have been rising across the country in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.
The town of Winthrop said it’s actively reviewing its public meeting videoconferencing procedures and policies following the Zoom incident.
“Winthrop has shown its true nature in the recent past when we banded together as a community of support and caring in the aftermath of a racially-motivated double murder in 2021,” said Town Manager Anthony Marino.
“We came together then and we will always come together in unity to condemn hatred and intolerance and to fight fear and intimidation,” the town manager added.
The Winthrop Police Department is also reaching out to its state and federal law enforcement partners.
“The Winthrop Police Department is actively investigating this incident as a hate crime,” Police Chief Terence Delehanty said. “We will respond aggressively to this attack on our community. There is no place for hate in Winthrop. Not in person; not online; not anywhere.”
ADL New England posted on social media, “Zoombombing made an unwanted comeback in @townofwinthrop last night & continues to disrupt our civic forums and city council meetings with hate & #antisemitism. Be prepared to turn them off.”
Zoombombing made an unwanted comeback in @townofwinthrop last night & continues to disrupt our civic forums and city council meetings with hate & #antisemitism. Be prepared to turn them off. https://t.co/r2KaNEQT8Q
— ADL New England (@ADL_NewEngland) December 6, 2023
