As hate incidents have reportedly increased, Delaware County Council unanimously voted to pass a resolution on Wednesday denouncing hate crimes.
The resolution reads in part:
"Whereas, bigotry, violence, hate, and racism do not align with the values of Delaware County Council and our community and they have no place in Delaware County and will not be tolerated."
This resolution comes after several antisemitic vandalism incidents had been reported in the community.
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In June, an investigation was prompted after fliers promoting racist and antisemitic websites were found in Ridley Township.
One flier stated ‘Our Children Pay The Price For Our Inaction. Stand Up White Man.’ Both fliers had QR codes that were directing people toward websites promoting racism and antisemitism.
The Anti-Defamation League reported Pennsylvania overall saw a 65 percent increase in antisemitic incidents of assault, vandalism, and harassment in 2022.
Additionally, Pennslyvania State Police said Pennsylvania has had an increase in hate crime in 2021, with 255 incidents reported.
Delaware County Council noted in 2021 the Federal Bureau of Investigation raised civil rights violations, including hate crimes, to its highest-level national threat priority.
The new resolution calls for stricter hate crime laws in Pennsylvania to prevent the continued surge of hate crimes.
Delaware County Council also urges residents to stand up against hate.
“We can no longer sit silently,” Delaware County Council Member Richard Womack said in a statement. “We all know that hate crimes do exist, and we must be outspoken, and we must call that out, and that is what we are doing here today."
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