Wednesday, November 01, 2023
The words “Kills Kids” were spray painted on the Textron building in downtown Providence on Wednesday, marking the latest anti-Semitic vandalism in the city — and the second time the building was defaced in days.
By 8 AM Wednesday morning the latest graffiti was starting to be removed, but multiple witnesses and police confirmed it said “Kills Kids” underneath the Textron sign.
Textron is a supplier of military equipment to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
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FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Tuesday that antisemitism is reaching “historic levels” in the United States.
“This is a threat that is reaching, in some way, sort of historic levels,” said Wray during a Senate hearing Tuesday.
Wray said that was in part because “the Jewish community is targeted by terrorists really across the spectrum,” including homegrown violent extremists, foreign terrorist organizations, and domestic violent extremists, according to CNN.
“In fact, our statistics would indicate that for a group that represents only about 2.4% of the American public, they account for something like 60% of all religious-based hate crimes,” Wray said of the Jewish American population.
City Held Video for Over a Week
On October 29, Providence police released video and asked for assistance for vandalism that occurred over a week prior in the city — on October 21.
The incident took place at Farm Fresh at 10 Sims Avenue. According to police, the unknown subjects posted “Free Palestine” flyers onto the store and painted the building with the same phrase.
On October 30, police received a report of “malicious damage to a building” at the RISD store on North Main Street shortly after 8 PM.
According to police, “Free Gaza” was seen spray-painted on the building.
Police were also called at approximately 8 PM on October 30 for a report of vandalism to the Textron Building on Westminster Street downtown.
“Free Gaza” was seen spray painted on the outside of the building.