Update April 14th: Coral Gables Police have announced the arrest of Benjamin Michael Garcia in connection with this and other antisemitic incidents in South Florida; more here.
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South Floridians expressed outrage and concern after the wall of a cement plant was defaced with an antisemitic message, the latest act of vandalism in a troubling trend.
The phrase “Communism is Judaism” was spray-painted on the outer wall of the plant located along the 7300 block of Southwest 48th Street in Southwest Miami-Dade, along with a web address linked to an antisemitic video sharing site. The site is run by Jon Minadeo II, a white supremacist who leads the antisemitic group, Goyim Defense League (GDL). He has been inciting hate and harassing Jewish people both in the streets of California and on the internet for years.
It’s not the first time the message has been spotted in the area. In late March, Shoshana Bicky was among those who called police when she spotted the graffiti in a different location in Southwest Miami-Dade.
“I was driving down Bird Road, and I saw a lot of these graffiti signs that say, ‘Communism is Judaism,'” she said. “It’s kind of horrifying to see these.”
Bicky said she spotted at least three, but there were more. All have since been painted over.
The vandalism outside the cement plant remained on display for days, but when officials with the concrete company caught a glimpse, a representative spray-painted over it.
Meanwhile, people who work in the area are ready to see it go.
If you know anything about who may be behind these defacings, call Miami-Dade Police or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.