Swastikas displayed outside Northern California house upset neighbours, lawmakers

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A Northern California man’s display of poster-size swastikas outside his Sacramento house is upsetting some neighbours and state lawmakers, who plan to call on him to remove them.

The symbols used by German Nazis in World War II replace stars in one American and two Israeli flags. There is also a Palestinian flag and a statue made of wood of a figure raising its arms and dressed in army green. The display also includes Christmas lights to illuminate it at night.

Sacramento Police Spokesman Officer Justin Brown said Wednesday police received a call about the house in the River Park neighbourhood on Monday and after doing a welfare check found there were no reportable crimes.

“We haven’t received any other complaints,” Brown said.

Democratic Sen. Marty Block of San Diego said a news conference with lawmakers, veterans and community leaders will be held Thursday to call on the house owner to voluntarily remove the swastikas.

Block, chair of the Jewish Caucus, called the display “an insult” to the American soldiers killed and wounded fighting Adolf Hitler’s Nazi army and the millions who died in German concentration camps.

“It’s an insult to the memory of tens of thousands of brave American soldiers who died fighting people wearing swastikas and for the 6 million people who died a horrible death in concentration camps,” Block said. Most of those who perished in the camps were Jews.

KCRA-TV first reported about the display on Tuesday and tried to talk to the house resident but he refused to be interviewed.

Robbie Rose, who lives nearby, told KCRA-TV he has thought about taking down the swastikas himself.

“How do I explain this to my little one?” asked Rose. “I am all for freedom of speech, but this is just too much. I really do want to get out of my car and rip that down. But the only reason I don’t (is) because I do believe in being a good American, and I do believe in freedom of speech.”