A man went on an antisemitic rant during public comment at a Walnut Creek City Council meeting Tuesday night, directed at its only Jewish member.
“As he came down the aisle, his jacket was open. He had a white t-shirt on that had antisemitic language along with a swastika,” said Council Member Kevin Wilk. “And I knew immediately what was going on.”
Wilk said he was still processing the unusual scene of the man in neo-nazi attire at the city council meeting.
“I turned my chair around,” Wilk said. “I was not going to give him the satisfaction of looking me in the eyes.”
Similar antisemitic rants bombarded council meetings via Zoom last year, leading to the end of the virtual public comment last October.
Wilk pointed out that the speaker was not from Walnut Creek, and that his words did not represent the city.
While freedom of speech allows individuals to use hate speech at meetings, the council is discussing its options. One idea: turning off the camera when hate speech occurs.
Wilk plans to continue speaking out against hate speech, whenever it takes place.
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“This is completely over the top, not ordinary” Wilk said. “We can’t become numb to this.”
