By Judie Jacobson

WESTPORT – On Sunday, May 7, Westport residents woke up to find fliers with a white supremacist/neo-Nazi message strewn about their driveways.

The fliers, encased in plastic and weighted down with stones, were left in the driveways of about a dozen residents living on Long Lots Road, Cross Highway and North Avenue. They implored people to “find the courage to stand up before it is too late,” lest “our culture will be completely erased.” The fliers included online addresses to several neo-Nazi and white supremacist forums.

As the Ledger went to press on Tuesday, May 9, Westport police were working with other area police departments to determine the source of the fliers.

“We have been in contact over the past day with Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas, along with the staff of our regional ADL office, under the leadership of Steve Ginsburg,” David Weisberg, executive director of the Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County told the Ledger on Monday, May 8. “The Federation for Jewish Philanthropy is grateful for the work of these representatives to investigate and respond to this cowardly act.”

The incident comes three months after residents of a Norwalk neighborhood found white supremacist fliers in their driveways; and two years – almost to the day – that Westport residents found similar fliers with disturbing messages also left in their driveways.

In the case of Norwalk, the propaganda fliers were emblazoned with the headline “Make America White Again,” and challenged residents to “secure the existence of our race and a future for white children.” The fliers direct people to the “The Right Stuff” website. Videos produced by the group point to antisemitic views.

“I have always been proud to speak of Westport as an open and welcoming community, and I continue to believe that the vast majority of Westporters practice that belief through tolerance, inclusion and everyday civil behavior. Unfortunately, the last few years and months have reminded us that our nation still needs to deal with some serious societal and behavioral issues, and we are again reminded that Westport is not necessarily immune,” said Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe in a statement issued May 7.

“Westport must not tolerate the threatening, bullying and hateful messages that are at the heart of these fliers. We must reinforce our commitment to civil discourse and to the tolerance for residents of all backgrounds. … We must create a political and social climate that rejects these kinds of statements out of hand and allows all opinions to be heard in an open and non-threatening manner,” he added, noting that the town is working with the Anti-Defamation League to come up with ways to combat this type of hateful activity.

Despite the disturbing incident, Weisberg was heartened by the community’s swift response.

“While this is not the first – and, sadly, will likely not be the last – act of hate to occur in our neighborhoods, it is incredibly comforting to know that we live in a community where those spewing the language of intolerance and hate find no welcome. As we are grateful for a community that always stands with its Jewish neighbors, so we equally commit ourselves to standing with all those who are the target of intolerance,” he said.

Westport police officers ask anyone with information to call the Westport Detective Bureau at (203) 341-6080.