Statement From Senator Harckham Condemning Racist Posters Found in Somers and Katonah

(Mt. Kisco, NY) Senator Pete Harckham released the following statement today after learning that Identity Evropa posters were recently found in Somers and Katonah:

"White supremacist groups like Identity Evropa are a scourge on this nation. I condemn their racist and hate mongering posters that were recently found in Somers and Katonah,” said Senator Pete Harckham, 40th Senate District. "The Hudson Valley welcomes and respects all races, religions and cultures. A shadowy, fringe hate group that posts xenophobic messages on light poles will never sway the open hearts and minds of New Yorkers." 

Background

Posters from Identity Evropa, a white supremacist organization, have appeared in Somers and Katonah over the past few weeks. According to TAPintoSomers, one of the posters read, “Is diversity really our strength?"

Last July, recruitment posters for Identity Evropa were found in Croton-on-Hudson, including several that were posted near schools, according to The Daily Voice. In November, Identity Evropa stickers were found posted near Cortlandt. 

The Southern Poverty Law Center says that "Identity Evropa is at the forefront of the racist 'alt-right’s' effort to recruit white, college-aged men and transform them into the fashionable new face of white nationalism. Rather than denigrating people of color, the campus-based organization focuses on raising white racial consciousness, building community based on shared racial identity and intellectualizing white supremacist ideology."

New York State Senate District 40 includes parts of Northern Westchester (Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan, Cortlandt, Croton-on-Hudson, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, Mount Pleasant, New Castle, North Salem, Peekskill, Pleasantville, Pound Ridge, Sleepy Hollow, Somers, Yorktown) Putnam (Brewster, Carmel, Patterson, Southeast) and Dutchess (Beekman, Pawling).