What to Know
- The fliers painting Hoboken mayoral candidate Ravi Bhalla as a terrorist were placed on cars Friday
- Mike DeFusco, whose mailers were altered with the racist message, condemned the fliers
- Just days ago, campaign mailers attacking two Asian school board candidates were placed around Edison
Officials in New Jersey are condemning fliers that paint a Sikh politician running for the mayor of Hoboken as a terrorist.
The fliers, which were placed on car windshields Friday night, have a photo of City Councilman Ravi Bhalla. In red letters above him, the fliers read: “Don’t let TERRORISM take over our Town!”
The leaflets appear to be a modified version of mailers sent out by another Hoboken mayoral candidate, Mike DeFusco. The original fliers accused Bhalla of having a potential conflict of interest.
DeFusco condemned the altered fliers in a statement Saturday.
“Today I spoke out not only against the racist, disgusting flier targeting Ravi Bhalla that appeared last night and was made to look like it came from my campaign, but also against the rest of the hate that has been shamefully displayed throughout this race,” DeFusco said in the statement.
(Police released an image of a person of interest in the case Monday, below.)Local
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DeFusco said he has also been the victim of hateful rhetoric accusing him of being a part of a “crime family” and attacking his sexuality.
Bhalla is the first Sikh to hold elected office in New Jersey. DeFusco would be Hoboken’s first gay mayor if elected.
Bhalla addressed the terrorism fliers Saturday, calling them “troubling” in a statement. “We won't let hate win in Hoboken,” he said.
“I want to use this incident as an opportunity to affirm to each other and our children the value of living in a diverse community where we are judged by the content of our character - not by the color of our skin or how we worship,” Bhalla said in the statement.
Sen. Cory Booker posted a photo of the flier to his Twitter account. He called it "vile" and "hateful" and said, "We all must condemn bigotry & hate!"
Six candidates are vying to replace outgoing Mayor Dawn Zimmer in the election on Tuesday.
The fliers appeared days after racist camaign mailers attacking two Asian school board candidates in Edison evoked the campaign slogan of President Trump and claimed Chinese and Indian residents are "taking over" the town.
