Gov. David Ige and the Anti-Defamation League condemned the posting of racist hate flyers around Lt. Gov. Josh Green’s Honolulu condominium by allies of organizations dedicated to ending COVID-19 vaccination mandates and opposed to wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus.
About 50 to 100 people consistently gather outside of Green’s downtown Honolulu condominium to loudly object to state emergency orders, state Department of Health guidelines and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention policies enacted to reduce COVID-19 infections and deaths in Hawaii and across the country. In recent weeks those protests, which Green supports as long as they are done at his office in the state Capitol, have taken an alarming turn with demonstrators adopting aggressive and intimidating tactics.
“I condemn hatred of any kind, particularly when it is based on race or ethnicity,” said Ige in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “This has no place in our community.”
The 108-year old anti-hate organization issued its statement amid what it labeled a “troubling increase in extremist and antisemitic acts” in Hawaii.
“The antisemitic invective hurled at Dr. Green comes at a time of rising antisemitism in Hawaii,” according to the ADL.
Antisemitic slurs spray-painted on walls in Honolulu and the presence of the Hawaii chapter of the Proud Boys at the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol complex were the incidents highlighted by the ADL as examples of increasing incidents of hatred.
“Dr. Green is a voice of reason, both regarding the urgent need to safeguard public health in Hawaii and the First Amendment rights of protesters,” said Seth Brysk, ADL Central Pacific regional director. “ADL respects a person’s right to protest. But we strongly condemn the use of antisemitic and other hate-filled slurs. Extremists have blamed Jews for the pandemic’s spread. The escalation in antisemitic rants and Holocaust analogies tied to anti-vaccine and anti-masking protests is as alarming as it is inaccurate and offensive.”
On June 18 the Aloha Freedom Coalition featured a black-and-white photo of Green’s face accented with light purple highlights on its Instagram feed with the word “FRAUD” written across the bottom of the frame. The caption read, “It would be a shame if someone posted signs like this all over town.”
On July 2, flyers identical to the Instagram post but bordered at the top and bottom by a handwritten banner featuring a repeating pattern that read “JEW” next to the Magen David, the Star of David, were found downtown and on the area around Green’s condo.
The AFC denounced the flyers and said it had nothing to do with their creation.
The Star-Advertiser obtained a photo taken July 2 of one of the flyers hanging from a light pole near Green’s apartment. The Star-Advertiser elected not to publish the photo.
The Aloha Freedom Coalition “advocates for the personal freedoms of all communities in Hawaii, promotes transformation and transparency of government, and supports the constitutional rights of the People to act,” according to the group’s website.
Members organize and amplify like-minded messages and put together protests and communication campaigns throughout the state. Their Instagram page is dedicated to posts that are uniformly against vaccine mandates, passports and rules enforcing the use of a mask. Elected officials who run afoul of their beliefs are strongly criticized and occasionally depicted in less than flattering ways.
One of the social media posts feature a video of Green captured through a restaurant window, dining at a campaign event with vaccinated donors. The caption reads, “Josh the freedom warriors always know where you are.”
Another features apparel created by the group. A white T-shirt with a black-and-white photo of Ige, highlighted with yellow in places, with a yellow banner stripped across the bottom with “TYRANT” in red letters, is next to a gray T-shirt featuring the June 18 image of Green. “What to wear at freedom rally?” is the caption.
HOW TO REPORT POSSIBLE CRIME
The FBI encourages victims and witnesses to report potential hate crimes and submit tips.
>> Call: 800-CALL-FBI
>> Website: tips.fbi.gov
>> Also: The Anti-Defamation League encourages anyone who witnesses or is targeted by a hate incident to report it to law enforcement and also file a report to ADL at www.adl.org/report.
