Teens accused of antisemitic hate crime at Bay Area elementary school

Two minors in a posh California town have been identified as the prime suspects behind antisemitic scrawlings on school grounds in what’s being classified as a hate crime, police said.

Two children, ages 12 and 13, have been referred to the Marin County District Attorney’s Office for criminal charges for allegedly vandalizing school property with a swastika and other hateful images, police said.

The minors were not named.

Officers responded to a report of antisemitic graffiti on the asphalt at Brookside Elementary School on October 3 at about 8:30 p.m. The school quickly removed the offensive graffiti that Saturday night, but the incident sparked an uproar in the quiet San Francisco suburb.

Officials believed the incident happened at the end of the school day on that Friday.

Ross Valley School District Superintendent Tyler Graff said the two children don’t study at Brookside Elementary but are from the district, ABC7 reported. District officials have been working with local law enforcement on next steps.

Last week, dozens of San Anselmo residents rallied at the school against the purported hate incident.

“My reaction was how am I going to tell my kids and walk them to school the next day?” Dani Cohen, a mom of three, told ABC7.

Antisemitic acts have taken on significant urgency ever since Hamas’ attack on Israel three years ago and the ensuing war in Gaza. Anger from both sides of the issue have inflamed tensions within the Jewish communityincluding in affluent Marin County.

“We are seeing a very large rise in antisemitic activities ranging from bias to outright hostility and even violence,” Kim Friedman, a member of the Marin Jewish Parents and Allies Union, told the outlet.

Police said its investigation of this incident was aided by not just the district but also tips from community members.

“The vandalism was classified as a hate crime per the California Penal Code due to the nature of the images and writings and the fact that the asphalt was damaged and defaced,” police said in a statement.

In California, minors who commit hate crimes are generally handled through the juvenile delinquency system with a focus on rehabilitation rather than adult prison.