Police investigating after stickers depicting Israeli flag, swastika placed near Coolidge Corner - Brookline.News

Brookline police are investigating after more than a dozen stickers depicting swastikas on an Israeli flag were placed on light poles, street signs and a storefront on the north side of Harvard Street over the weekend.

Photos posted on social media show one of the stickers on a light pole at the corner of Harvard and Fuller Streets. Another shows a sticker on a pole next to the athletic field at the Florida Ruffin Ridley School. Three more stickers were put on the storefront of Kupels Bakery, according to police. In total, 18 were found in the neighborhood.

The stickers, which include the words “Stop funding Israeli terrorism,” are identical to those placed near the Harvard University campus a week ago, including one a few feet away from the home of Harvard Hillel, the university’s largest Jewish center.

The stickers were removed by the town’s Department of Public Works, and detectives are investigating, according to Campbell.

In a statement, Bernard Greene, chair of the Select Board, said that the use of the swastika was an antisemitic act ” intended to intimidate and harass the Jewish community of Brookline.”

“We will not be intimidated,” he said. “Brookline has no toleration for and is united against hate. We are a community dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion and will join together to show we are strong and will support those who are targeted by these hateful symbols. We understand that hate is indivisible and those that spew hate against our Jewish residents and businesses will turn their hatred against other members of our community if given the opportunity.”

He asked residents who see vandalism or hateful messages to report them using the BrookONline system, and to report any information about the weekend’s incident to BPD at 617-730-2222.