The Goyim Defense League (GDL), an anti-Semitic group, displayed banners this weekend declaring its support for anti-Jewish statements recently made by Ye, the rapper known as Kanye West.
The GDL’s banners — displayed on a bridge passing over Los Angeles’s 405 highway — stated, “Honk if you know Kanye is right about the Jews,” a reference to Ye’s recent anti-Semitic statements.
“This action is the latest example of how extremists across the ideological spectrum have embraced Ye’s recent comments,” wrote Oren Segal, vice president of the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism, via Twitter.
“The group responsible for the antisemitic banners over the highway in Los Angeles espouses its vitriolic antisemitism and white supremacist themes via the internet, through propaganda distributions, and in street actions.”
GDL has spread racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic flyers in Los Angeles neighborhoods claiming that Jews are responsible for starting the COVID-19 pandemic and the LGBTQ rights movement, the ADL said. Similar flyers have appeared in Texas, New York, and Florida, Vice News reported.
ADL of Los Angeles Regional Director Jeffrey Abrams wrote in a statement this last Sunday, “This group (GDL), known for espousing antisemitism and white supremacist ideology, is now leveraging Ye’s antisemitism and is proof that hate breeds more hate.”
Ye’s comments have been praised by the Proud Boys; QAnon followers; Andrew Anglin, founder of the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer.
Around October 10, Ye posted a now-deleted Twitter message which said, “I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE … You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
Via Instagram, Ye also shared a text exchange he had with fellow musician Sean “Puffy” Combs in which Ye wrote, “Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that old me to call me that no one can threaten or influence me. I told you this was war.”
Ye also made anti-Semitic comments during unaired interview segments with white supremacist Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
“I prefer my kids knew Hanukkah than Kwanzaa,” Ye told Carlson. “At least it will come with some financial engineering.” During the interview, Ye also suggested that actors pretending to be children had posed as his children’s friends to infiltrate his home.
In a video criticizing West, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) wrote, “The greed theme has led to a long list of Jewish stereotypes, such as being money-oriented or controlling the world’s finances. The control theme seeks to falsely portray Jews as secret puppet masters ruling over others.”
Ye has offered to purchase Parler, the far-right social media network which is popular among white supremacists, QAnon followers, and followers of bigoted former President Donald Trump.