Nazi symbols graffitied on Mississippi signs - residents react
The Sheriff of Lincoln country reported that he was unaware of any activity in the area related neo-Nazism, but a neo-Confederate organization and one Neo-Nazi group have been detected in the state
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: JUNE 18, 2021 08:44Supporters of the National Socialist Movement, a white nationalist political group, give Nazi salutes while taking part in a swastika burning at an undisclosed location in Georgia, US on April 21, 2018(photo credit: GO NAKAMURA/REUTERS)
Residents living in Lincoln County, Mississippi were shocked to find Nazi symbols painted over stop signs and walls in their neighborhoods on Wednesday, according to a report by a Mississippi news site. “It’s terrible, this kind of thing has got to stop,” one woman said told the news site. Another woman called it "pure hatred" and that "people shouldn't be doing that kind of thing."Symbols used to vandalize public property included the swastika, Nazi SS bolts and the number 9, the latter which may represent the percentage of the world's population that is white, according to research by the Anti-Defamation League.The SS bolts are also associated with white supremacy, which comes from "Schutzstaffel," a Nazi-era symbol. The Sheriff of Lincoln country reported that he was unaware of any activity in the area related neo-Nazism, though a neo-Confederate organization and one Neo-Nazi group has been detected within the state of Mississippi, but none near Lincoln County.Vandalizing stop signs is a crime according the the state's Code 65-7-23, which states that "any person who willfully defaces a traffic control sign will be guilty of a misdemeanor and — upon conviction — be liable for the actual cost of repair or replacement of the sign."Furthermore, those who commit such an act could also be fined a few hundred dollars or even jailed. If the criminal is below the age of 18, their parents are responsible to cover the cost or repair the sign.
