Three middle schoolers have been charged with hate crimes after performing Nazi salutes, displaying swastikas, and making derogatory remarks about a classmate’s religion.
The harassment began in December with the students refusing to stop despite repeated requests, officials in Maryland say.
The victim reported their behavior to Maryland State Police, who investigated the incidents and filed charges against the students.
The defendants, aged 13, are students at Plum Point Middle School in Calvert County, which has students in sixth through eighth grades. It’s located around 80 km southeast of Washington DC.
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Names of the students are being withheld as they’re underage, county prosecutors say.
Officials said the charges will be forwarded to the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.
State Attorney Robert Harvey said in a statement: “Maryland was founded on the principle of religious toleration.
“It is frankly astonishing that nearly 400 years later some people continue to persecute others based upon their religion.”
Calvert County Public Schools officials haven’t released a statement, but their website explains how they handle racism and other forms of discrimination.
“Calvert County Public Schools explicitly denounces racism, bullying, discrimination, white supremacy, hate, and racial inequity in any form within our school community,” it reads.
It comes after a report released last year by the Anti-Defamatino League found antisemitic incidents in Maryland had almost doubled over the previous year.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said at the time the increase was “absolutely unacceptable”.
“I want everyone in Maryland to hear me clearly — hate has no home in our state,” he said at the time. “I refuse to allow these alarming actions to go unnoticed.”
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