Civil rights group says fliers from 'virulently anti-Semitic group' showing up all around Twin Cities

A leading civil rights organization says it has learned of the distribution of troubling fliers in many Twin Cities-area communities from supporters of a "virulently anti-Semitic group."

The fliers are headlined "Every single aspect of the media is Jewish." They include photos of the CEOs of major entertainment companies with a Star of David added on each of their foreheads.

American Jews running the news and entertainment media is an anti-Semitic trope that has been promulgated for a century or more.

In a statement Monday, the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) for Minnesota and the Dakotas said it has documented the fliers since July 1 in Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Edina, North Oaks, New Brighton, Cottage Grove and Arden Hills.

The JCRC said the fliers have been distributed by supporters of the Goyim Defense League, "a virulently anti-Semitic group, whose nefarious activities are well documented by the ADL [Anti-Defamation League]." The flier includes a web address where anti-Semitic videos are posted.

The ADL contends that the Goyim Defense League's mission is to "cast aspersions on Jews and spread antisemitic myths and conspiracy theories. This includes frequent references to Jews having undue power through their 'control' of major institutions such as media networks, the economy or the government."

Similar flier distributions have occurred elsewhere in the country including Maryland, California and Florida. As in those states, the fliers in the Twin Cities were in plastic bags weighed down with corn kernels so the bags could be tossed from vehicles without blowing away in the wind.

The Star Tribune left messages with Jon Minadeo, who among other duties runs the Goyim Defense League's video-sharing site, seeking to confirm whether anyone associated with his group is responsible for the fliers.

"We hesitate to offer any public attention to these hateful provocateurs, which is what they seek," the JCRC statement continued. "However, we wish to assure the community that there is no evidence of these fliers being associated with imminent violence and that we will continue tracking these distributions and are in close communication with our law enforcement partners."

The mayor of St. Louis Park, home to a significant Jewish population, said the fliers were distributed overnight from Sunday into Monday in his neighborhood and throughout the city.

"I, and those in my neighborhood, awoke to anti-Semitic fliers left at our homes which served as a disgusting and sad reminder that religious-based hate remains a pervasive problem," said Mayor Jake Spano, who found one of the fliers on his lawn Monday morning.

"I've been in contact with residents of multiple faiths," Spano continued, "and I can tell you that whatever the people spreading these hateful messages think they are accomplishing in dividing people, it's having the exact opposite effect."

St. Louis Park police are logging where the fliers were received as part of their investigation.

In neighboring Edina, a resident on Wooddale Avenue found one of the fliers hanging on her door, then picked up others in yards and in the streets of her country club neighborhood, a police report dated Monday said.

"The bags looked as if they were thrown from a vehicle," the report read. "The placement was random, and they were 15 to 20 feet into the yards [from the street]."

Last month, anti-Semitic fliers were found near a dozen homes in St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood.