Several cars were torched in Flatbush, Brooklyn Thursday night and the local City Councilman said the attack was directed against Jews.
"We will not accept anti-Semitism in our community," said Councilman David Greenfield, a Democrat representing Flatbush and Borough Park said. "There is zero tolerance for such acts of hatred and ignorance. I’m confident that these hateful people will be caught and punished to the full extent of the law.”
Greenfield offered a $1000 for information leading to the arrest of the culprits who struck on Ocean Parkway between Avenues I and J. Four cars were burned and a fifth damaged by one of the fiers. A fifth was vandalized with what the Councilman's press release called hateful graffiti. But a Greenfield spokesman would not comment on what the graffiti said.
Swastikas and the letters KKK were found nearby. The 66th NYPD Police Precinct is investigating along with the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.
In a statement, Michael Miller of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York said "We were shocked to learn of the horrific arson of cars — with accompanying anti-Semitic messages — on Ocean Parkway in Flatbush. We are gratified that the precinct and the Hate Crimes Task Force are investigating and are confident that the NYPD will follow the evidence wherever it leads."
Last week swastikas were left on two library branches in Queens and a shul in Jackson Heights. The Anti-Defamation League says its recent survey show a three percent increase in anti-Semitic attitudes since a 2009 poll.
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