After a gathering to show unity against antisemitism, racist graffiti was found on the grounds of a Maryland school.
School staff found two instances of “KKK” drawn on the positive messages from “Chalk The Walk” — an event where the Westbrook Elementary School community came together to write positive messages following incidents of antisemitism that have been reported at Montgomery County schools.
“Someone made the unfortunate choice to deepen community anxiety by drawing symbols of hate near the school’s front entrance,” Principal Karen Cox said, who learned about what happened on Tuesday.
Cox said she directed staff to remove the graffiti, and she does not believe that any students at the school saw the “ugly graffiti.” Police arrived and filed a report.
“Let me be clear: Graffiti featuring ‘KKK’ is a hate symbol, and I consider this most recent incident another example of antisemitism,” Cox said.
KKK refers to Ku Klux Klan, a secretive society organized in the South after the Civil War to assert white supremacy, often using violence.
Cox, in a letter to the school community, said the KKK has a “long-standing history of very direct and visceral hate against people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+, and who identify as Jewish. In the context of our community’s demonstration of support for our Jewish families and students, as I said, we must consider this another incident of antisemitism.”
There will be a community meeting on March 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the school and online to continue the discussion on what happened.