New Hampshire Democratic Party office vandalized with swastikas and antisemitic slurs

Police are investigating after antisemitic graffiti and flyers for a white supremacist group were found at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s Belknap County office in Laconia, N.H. on Wednesday, officials said.

New Hampshire Democratic Party officials were “outraged and horrified” by the vandalism, Ray Buckley, the party’s chairman, said in a statement. The office was covered in swastikas and antisemitic slurs, along with flyers advertising the white supremacist group, he said.

“This blatant display of hate, marked by swastikas, are a direct threat to our Jewish community, and we demand immediate and thorough action from law enforcement agencies,” Buckley said. “The documented rise in these hate crimes here in New Hampshire is alarming and unacceptable.”

The vandalism occurred after the Belknap County Democratic Committee shared posts on social media “expressing solidarity with the city’s Jewish community” and a remembrance of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Nazi regime’s assault on Jews on Nov. 9, 1938.

Police said they are looking for connections to other recent reports of vandalism. Several instances of racist and antisemitic vandalism have been found at the former Laconia State School property, including graffiti that named a prominent member of the city’s Jewish community.

Buckley said the party stands in solidarity with the Jewish community and will not be intimidated.

“We must confront and challenge this vile ideology at every turn,” he said. “We stand in unwavering solidarity with the Jewish community and all those targeted by these abhorrent acts. We will not be intimidated or deterred in our fight against bigotry. We call on every citizen to join us to ensure that New Hampshire remains a place where hate finds no harbor.”