Olympia, WA: Christian Supremacist’s Signs Snatched

This anonymous report comes from people in Olympia, Washington who discuss the community defense of a synagogue.

On March 18th, Christian fundamentalists showed up to Blintzapalooza, an annual fundraiser put on by the local synagogue in Olympia. They stood next to the front doors with huge signs harassing people on their way inside by saying anti-Semitic things such as “you are going to hell” and “the Jews killed jesus,”  which is a historical myth that has been used for centuries to justify the displacement and murder of Jewish people.

These and similar christian fundamentalists have a long history in Olympia of harassing Black Lives Matter events, queer pride events and other celebrations and protests for marginalized groups.

The fundamentalists were confronted by a small group of antagonists who prefer to confront anti-Semitism directly rather than ignoring them, engaging in dialog, or passively trying to discredit them. One of their signs was captured immediately and the other was grabbed resulting in a skirmish in the street. One of them shouted about being assaulted and they called the pigs right away. They tried to follow someone away from the confrontation but were stopped. The person that the fundamentalists were trying to follow got away safely.

Stealing an anti-Semite’s sign is a small and easily reproducible action, and it caused the fundamentalists to discontinue harassing a largely Jewish crowd. Ignoring fascists and right-wing bigots doesn’t make them go away. Tepid think-pieces don’t make them go away. Petitions and voting don’t make them go away. Hitler did not come to power for lack of liberal hand-wringing. It’s time for Jews everywhere to step it up and go to war against capitalism, the State, and all forms of hierarchy and domination.

-some anarchist jews