CINCINNATI — Cincinnati police confirmed officers did remove a banner with an antisemitic message hanging from an overpass on Columbia Parkway over the weekend.
Police said they received several calls related to the banner, which said, "Save Ireland from the Jews." While it was not placed along the route for the St. Patrick's Day Parade, the message coincides with the holiday weekend.
"Upon arrival, CPD did confirm the existence of the banner," the department said in a statement to WCPO. "Due to signage being prohibited from hanging from any overpass and the size of the banner which created a safety hazard to motorists traveling underneath, CPD did remove the banner."
WCPO's Madeline Ottilie spoke with Rabbi Ari Jun, director of Cincinnati's Jewish Community Relations Council, who said a community member first notified him of the banner Saturday morning. He said they also heard about a possible second banner on the overpass on Hopple Street and I-75.
"We got into action right away as soon as we heard about this," Jun said. "We were in touch with local law enforcement, with members of Cincinnati City Council, we were in touch with everything we could to make sure these banners got taken down immediately."
WCPO also spoke to a woman who took one of the photos of the sign. She asked us not to reveal her identity. She said it was one of the most "blatant, in-your-face" antisemitic incidents that she’s ever personally observed.
"It looks just like the signs that are in 1930s Germany," she said.
She said at first she couldn’t make sense of it.
"It has nothing to do with the war that's going on and it's just sort of meant to make people feel hated and unwelcome," the woman said. "It was hurtful."
She told WCPO she took a picture so "someone else would believe (her)."
Jun said there has been an uptick in antisemitism in the U.S. in the past decade. According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents were up 337% from October to December compared to the same time last year.
The Jewish Community Relations Council takes reports of antisemitism in the Cincinnati area. Jun said the council has seen "a giant leap" since the start of October. Jun said on average there's been an antisemitic incident once every three days in the past five months.
"This is not an easy time for our Jewish community ... I hear from people all the time that they are uncomfortable being Jewish in public," said Jun. "That is the overall effect of this rise in antisemitism."
Cincinnati police did not say if they knew who put the banner up nor how long it was hanging before it was taken down.
Watch Live:
