Over the weekend, a giant swastika made of removable, snap-together tiles was placed on the football field at El Camino High School in South San Francisco. The school had just celebrated graduation ceremonies on Friday. Residents saw the swastika over the weekend, but custodians only discovered the swastika on Monday, whereupon they told school officials and subsequently removed it.
Robin Belinsky, a Jewish resident of Brisbane, happened to drive by the school when she saw the swastika, prompting her to photograph and videotape it. She told the San Francisco Chronicle, “When I saw a giant swastika on the field, I was really pissed off. The Peninsula has been a very accepting community, but these types of incidents need to be brought to the public’s attention. Hate still happens.” Recalling that she herself had experienced antisemitism as a child, the mother of a 2-year-old son added, “More than likely it was stupid kids, but it’s just not acceptable.”
Assistant Principal Gary Gooch told the Chronicle that police are investigating. He said he was grateful that the removal of the swastika did not damage the field, which was just installed last year.
El Camino is roughly five miles down the road from San Francisco State University, named one of the most anti-Semitic campuses in America.