Police: stickers combining swastikas, Israeli flag found in Brookline

By Dialynn Dwyer

Brookline police are investigating after stickers with swastikas on them were posted around the Coolidge Corner area over the weekend.

In a statement, police said the department received a call reporting the antisemitic stickers on upper Harvard Street on Saturday morning. Most of the 16 stickers were on public property, such as light poles and street signs; two were on private property.

Police said several of the stickers were taken as evidence and public works responded to remove those pasted to public property. The two on private property were removed by the business.

The stickers were in the shape of an Israeli flag with the Star of David replaced by a swastika, according to a photo shared by Brookline police. The stickers had the phrase “Stop funding Israeli terrorism” printed on them.

Similar swastika stickers were found in Cambridge’s Harvard Square last week.

State Representative Tommy Vitolo said on X that the stickers were found on light posts near synagogues and other Jewish institutions in town.

“I won’t speculate on the motives behind this graffiti, but to the people who committed these acts of hate: your views have no home in Brookline,” he wrote. “Violence and bigotry only breed more violence and bigotry.”

Simply stated, these acts of antisemitism are disgusting and unacceptable. People of all backgrounds should stand up and reject this bigotry regardless of their religion, national origin, political beliefs, or views on current events in the Middle East.

In a statement, Brookline Select Board chair Bernard Greene noted that the area where the stickers were found is one with “significant numbers of Jewish and Israeli residents and businesses.”

“They bring to the surface painful memories and the scars left by a millennia of antisemitism,” Greene said. “The use of this symbol is intended to intimidate and harass the Jewish Community of Brookline.”

Greene said the town will “not be intimidated” and promised “swift action” to remove the stickers and ensure the “safety and well-being” of the community.

“Brookline has no toleration for and is united against hate,” Greene said. “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.”

Anyone with information about the stickers is being urged to contact Brookline police at 617-730-2222.

Be civil. Be kind.