White supremacy group drops antisemitic flyers around SLO County
Residents in San Luis Obispo County have received a new round of hate messaging from a group of white supremacists, this time in the form of antisemitic flyers taking advantage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The flyers come from the California Blackshirts, a white nationalist hate group that appeared in San Luis Obispo County in April when members began displaying an “Embrace white pride” banner over the Vineyard Drive Highway 101 overpass in Templeton.
In a Telegram chat on Oct. 14, the group posted a photo of the flyers being printed with a message stating that they need to direct their messaging toward the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, the militant group in Gaza that massacred 1,400 Israelis in a surprise invasion that led to the death of 4,300 Palestinians from retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.
On Oct. 15, flyers claiming Jewish people do not deserve protection or basic human rights were distributed in Templeton in a neighborhood near Main Street, a resident reported to the Tribune. The flyers repeated an antisemitic conspiracy theory and said the United States should cease its support for Israel as a result.
Then, the flyers appeared in San Luis Obispo.
The Tribune received reports of three different versions of the flyers being distributed in two SLO neighborhoods on Sunday, all sharing the same message in different ways. On one of the flyers, the group claims that its distribution is random and does not have malicious intent.
The flyers contained escalated language from the group’s previous distributions. The Tribune will not quote the antisemitic messaging.
Residents say more than 100 flyers were distributed, several in neighborhoods near Johnson Avenue and Oceanaire Drive.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department asks anyone who received flyers to report them, share doorbell camera footage or other exterior home camera footage that captures a license plate or image of people distributing so they can be identified. The department can be reached at 805-781-7312.
The department did not disclose how many reports they have received.
Since the group began its movement in San Luis Obispo County in the spring, it has distributed antisemitic flyers at least 12 times and held banners with the same messaging at least eight times. The group’s regular appearances in the county began in June.
The men who hold banners always hide their identities behind masks, hats and sunglasses, despite claiming they “embrace white pride.”
The group has also distributed flyers in Hanford and Visalia.
The Tribune is tracking the California Blackshirts movement in San Luis Obispo County. If you have any news tips about the group or its members, please contact Tribune reporter Chloe Jones at cjones@thetribunenews.com.
This story was originally published October 24, 2023 at 11:03 AM.
