Antisemitic hate crime, hate incidents reported in Berkeley

Authorities in Berkeley are investigating separate reports of antisemitism in recent days: the assault of a woman during a pro-Israel demonstration and the distribution of more than a dozen baggies containing hateful messages targeting Jews.

Details remain limited but Berkeley police and local officials have expressed strong concerns about the fliers in particular. Both investigations are ongoing.

The hate crime took place Sunday afternoon during a demonstration in support of Israel on one of the pedestrian bridges that crosses over I-80, police said.

The conflict, which was caught on video, began shortly after 3:30 p.m. when a man ripped down an Israeli flag from the fence on the bridge while shouting "fuck Israel" and other critical remarks, BPD spokesman Officer Byron White said Monday.

According to police, the man was wearing "pro-Palestinian-colored clothing."

As tensions rose, one demonstrator threw a clear liquid toward the man, who then threw an open beer can, hitting the back of a different woman's head, causing her to fall and her glasses to come off.

The man, who fled, appeared Middle Eastern with long hair, 25 years old, and 5 feet 10 with a thin build, police said. He wore a green shirt and dark jacket along with gray gloves and tan or gray pants.

Antisemitic fliers left in Berkeley Hills

That hate crime, which police classified as an assault with a deadly weapon, followed more than a dozen reports that came in over the weekend from Berkeley Hills residents who found plastic bags throughout the neighborhood containing antisemitic fliers weighed down by pellets and rocks.

The fliers contained offensive language including the phrase "Hitler was right."

Police said at least 14 people called to make reports about the baggies, which were found on Tamalpais Road, in the 1000 block of Cragmont Avenue, in the 900 blocks of Regal Road and Euclid Avenue, and in the 1000 block of Park Hills Road.

They were also distributed along Grizzly Peak Boulevard, Keeler Avenue and Sterling Avenue, officials said.

BPD sent out three officers to collect evidence and speak with potential witnesses in the case, police said.

One caller also told police they had seen someone in a black Mercedes-Benz distributing the baggies at about 3 p.m. Friday.

Many people shared concerns about the fliers over the weekend, including on NextDoor.

Wengraf says police are "taking this very seriously"

In an email to constituents Sunday, Berkeley Councilwoman Susan Wengraf reported that several East Bay cities, including Walnut Creek, Concord and Pleasant Hill, had also been targeted in the past week.

"This group has previously targeted Berkeley with hateful leaflets and have zoom-bombed our City Council meetings with virulent antisemitic comment," she wrote.

"The pellets in the baggies have not yet been positively identified," Wengraf continued. "Some think that they may be rat poison pellets. Others think that they are wood-stove pellets. One is more dangerous than the other, but both are extremely offensive. Please take care to dispose of them safely."

(BPD said just after publication that the pellets "resembled BBQ cooking pellets" and "turned into a sawdust-like material" when they were diluted.)

Wengraf said police were "gathering evidence and are taking this very seriously" and advised constituents to check their security cameras for footage "that may show someone throwing the baggies from a vehicle" on Friday from 3-6 p.m.

Fliers linked to a "loosely-knit group of antisemitic individuals"

Police said they did not know exactly who distributed the fliers — but they were consistent with something that happened two years ago in Berkeley when baggies containing antisemitic messages were dropped in many Berkeley Hills driveways.

Writing on Berkeleyside at the time, Kate Darby Rauch reported that "These incidents have been linked by advocacy groups to a notorious hate group out of Petaluma."

This time, the materials included QR codes leading to a website that the Anti-Defamation League has attributed to a "loosely-knit group of virulently antisemitic individuals … whose goal is to spread hate, fear and horrible antisemitic conspiracy theories throughout communities," said Teresa Drenick, an ADL spokeswoman.

(The ADL advises media outlets not to name the group or link to it directly so as not to promote its message.)

Drenick said the group is smaller than it leads people to believe and has been around for years.

"We are gratified that the police were notified and we continue to encourage anybody who is targeted with this form of hate to advise your local law enforcement agency," she said. "It's vitally important that the police know what's happening with the communities they are serving," particularly so they can "prevent any type of escalation of hate-fueled violence."

Berkeley police: Hate crimes versus hate incidents

On Monday, BPD Officer White said police had categorized Sunday's incident as a hate crime while the fliers were classified as a hate incident, which is defined as "an action or behavior motivated by hate or bias but legally protected by the First Amendment."

Hate incidents may include name-calling as well as distributing hate material in public and displaying hate material on your property, he said in the statement.

"The Department places a high priority on hate-crime investigations and we recognize the lasting harm hate incidents and hate crimes have on our community," White said. "The Berkeley Police Department stands with the Community United Against Hate."

On Monday afternoon, Berkeley Unified School District Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel emailed parents about the fliers.

"We are aware that over the weekend some hateful antisemitic messages were distributed in the driveways and doorsteps of some of our Berkeley community members. We are disturbed that this incident has resurfaced in our community," she wrote.

She continued: "Let me unequivocally state that Berkeley Unified stands against antisemitism, bigotry and all forms of hate, intimidation, discrimination, bullying and harassment. We must all do our part to keep hate out of our Berkeley community."

BPD asks anyone with information about the reports to call police at 510-981-5900. BUSD said hate-motivated behavior on school campuses should be reported to the school administrator or to BUSD's Civil Rights and Compliance Office at complaints@berkeley.net.

Editor's note: This story was updated after publication to clarify the details of Sunday's conflict; include a statement from the Anti-Defamation League; and remove the name of and direct links to the group believed responsible for the fliers.