‘Day Of Hate:’ Chicago Police Warn Religious Groups To Be Alert As Neo-Nazi Groups Plan Hate Crime Day

The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is warning Jewish and other religious communities to be on the alert this weekend after several Neo-Nazi groups declared Feb. 25 as a national “Day of Hate.”

An antisemitic group in eastern Iowa said in January it would be observing the day and several other white supremacist groups have since joined in, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In response, the CPD warned religious communities to be vigilant, especially when attending religious events, according to a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The CPD told the DCNF that they were not aware of any active threats to religious members of the community but stressed that precaution was always best.

“The Chicago Police Department is aware of the online posts regarding February 25, 2023,” CPD said. “At this time, there is no actionable intelligence and we continue to actively monitor the situation. We are regularly in contact with members, leaders and organizations within the Jewish community and all faith-based communities in Chicago, and will continue working closely with them to strengthen communication and safety.”

CPD officer Ald. Debra Silverstein told the Sun-Times that Jewish synagogue would receive “special attention” from the police due to the nature of the threats.

“Families across our community should feel reassured that they are protected from those that wish us harm,” Silverstein told the Sun-Times.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) first called attention to the hate group’s plans on Feb. 9, according to a Twitter thread.

“This ‘National Day of Hate,’ originally proposed by an Iowa-based neo-Nazi group, has been endorsed and shared online by various extremist groups,” ADL wrote. “No specific Jewish communities or locations have been named online. ADL is sharing everything it’s finding with law enforcement.”

The ADL encouraged Jewish institutions to take this time to review their safety protocols and emphasized that if approached by someone who may be involved with the hate groups to “contact law enforcement” and not “confront individuals committing these antisemitic activities.”

The recent warning comes a year after a Chicago man was arrested and charged for a rash of antisemitic incidents including painted swastikas and  smashed synagogue windows, according to Block Club Chicago.

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