Swastika Graffiti Update In Haddonfield

HADDONFIELD – New details recently emerged regarding the swastikas that were spraypainted on trees either at the end of March or the first part of April at the entrance to a Quaker graveyard in Haddonfield.

Authorities say it has identified at least one local juvenile who was “present and/or participated” in the spraypainting incident, according to a post on Haddonfield Borough’s Facebook page.

“The initial investigation has revealed that this was not an act committed by an organized hate group rather it was a crime committed by one or more juvenile(s),” the post also said.

The discovery that the spraypainting was not a hate crime provides some level of relief, according to Matthew Sharp, head of Haddonfield Friends School.

“We are relieved to update you that the teenagers responsible for the sickening hate symbols … have been identified and the police have engaged them,” Sharp told Patch in an emailed statement. “We have requested treatment/rehabilitation and restorative measures for those charged/involved.”

“An assault on our meeting community is an assault on all of us. We at [Haddonfield Friends School] reject all forms of hate, bigotry, racism, and antisemitism and stand in peace with our Jewish families in and around our communities,” he continued.

The police have not identified those involved due to their age, according to the post. The investigation into the incident is continuing, the post also said.

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