East Hampton police are investigating a tagging incident as a hate crime after huge swastikas and antisemitic graffiti were discovered at Ditch Plains Beach and the downtown business district in Montauk.
East Hampton Town Police Capt. Chris Anderson said the swastikas and slurs were reported sometime around midmorning Monday and investigators believe they were spray-painted sometime overnight Sunday into Monday. He said many of the swastikas are 2 or 3 feet tall.
“With the current climate and the state of affairs in the world it is troubling that an individual — or, individuals — would act out in such a manner,” Anderson said.
He said the office of East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc had been notified of the incidents, as had investigators from the Suffolk County Police Hate Crimes Unit. Investigators were reviewing area surveillance footage to help identify and locate suspects.
An anti-hate rally has been scheduled at the Montauk village green at 4 p.m. Monday.
Police said graffiti was found at a comfort station in the town parking lot at Ditch Plains Beach, as well as two nearby food concession trailers and a power meter box, as well as a fence and picnic tables in the common parking lot behind two restaurants on Montauk Highway — Naturally Good Foods & Cafe and Sausages Pizza and Pastabilities. Graffiti was also found on a door of the cafe.
The antisemitic graffiti and slurs all appear to have been sprayed in black paint, Anderson said. Photos from the scenes show gigantic swastikas on the exterior bathroom doors, wall and concession trailers at Ditch Plains, as well as on a fence area and tables from the restaurant parking lot.
“One of the slogans we found we think translates to ‘Free Palestine,’ ” Anderson said of the graffiti. “I say probably, because that is what the interpretation is going to be — since the spelling is not great … Clearly, we’re hoping that any member of the public who has information will come forward.”
Local, county and state police, as well as the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies on Long Island, statewide and nationwide, have all been on high alert for hate crimes and incidents since the outbreak of war in Israel after Hamas militants launched surprise attacks Oct. 7.
“We live in a close-knit, caring, and inclusive community, but this morning we were greeted by evil and disgusting symbols of hatred which appeared in Montauk during the overnight hours, on Town buildings and private businesses. I condemn these racist, anti-Semitic acts in the strongest possible terms,” Van Scoyoc said in a statement.
“Civil society requires us to treat each other with respect, tolerance, and dignity, especially now as tensions are increasing due to conflicts in other parts of the world,” he said, adding “Our police detectives’ unit is in the process of investigating the multiple crime scenes and conducting a full canvass of the areas involved for evidence to aid in the apprehension of the perpetrator or perpetrators. The investigation is in its early stages.”
Police are asking anyone with information to contact them at 631-537-7575.
One of the organizers of the rally, Katherine King, a member of the Anti-Bias Task Force of East Hampton. A homeowner in Montauk since 1997, King said her primary job in working to “build bridges” between people of different races and ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds led her to start organizing the rally after learning early Monday of the graffiti.
“It was just feeling strongly that this type of intimidation cannot go on without a response,” King said. “That members of this community denounce this . . . That our Jewish colleagues, friends and neighbors are safe. That’s it’s not okay to intimidate people, no matter where they’re from, no matter what their age, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status. No matter who they are.”
With Grant Parpan
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee’pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”