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EL SOBRANTE – Twenty-four hours after the local press shone the spotlight on the giant swastika engraved in his garden, Steven Johnson simply did not understand. But what Johnson calls a "design" certainly looks like the Nazi symbol – and that put his East Bay neighbors in the back.
"That Nazi (that kind of thing) happened about 80 years ago," said Johnson, sitting on his Harley Davidson motorcycle in front of his home in this isolated neighborhood, where a narrow street separates the sewn houses on both sides. "Think, I guess."
It will not happen.
Aerial footage from local news outlets on Tuesday captured the cement swastika, which is about 10 feet by 10 feet and is adjacent to the walkway to Johnson's home, occupying half of the front yard of the modest one-story house. . A day later, the media and onlookers continued to show up on the street. A photographer used by a photographer for a national newspaper company hovered over the house, capturing images of Johnson's yard.
The uproar around the swastika comes as the world commemorates the 75th anniversary of D-Day, when Allied forces landed in Normandy, France on June 6, 1944, a battle regarded as one of the main turning points of the Second World War.
Addressing a reporter and photographers after returning home Wednesday morning, Johnson was polite – and showed no remorse for his Nazi stone garden.
"I like swastikas," he said. "I think they look cool … I did not do it to attract attention I'm not a Nazi worshiper, I just thought it would be a good thing to put over there. "
Describing the drawing as a "Tibetan symbol," he said the swastika symbolized "peace, tranquility, and harmony." yard – turn right.
This swastika is widely recognized as a symbol of hatred, associated with the persecution and systematic murder of millions of people – including about 6 million Jews – under the Third Reich.
Johnson's decision to build one did not inspire the neighbors. Two of its members on Wednesday expressed disgust at his decision. And as the images of the giant Nazi art spread, other people outside the community said they were deeply offended.
"Personally and professionally, I find this deeply deeply offensive," said Nancy Appel, spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League. "The thing is huge, it's concrete and symmetrical. It seems like a lot of effort has been made. "
Antisemitic incidents – including the appearance of swastikas in public view – have been on the rise in California since 2016, according to ADL data, which trace incidents of bias nationally. . The group recorded 341 anti-Semitic events across the country in 2018, up from 278 the year before and more than any other US state.
"We are in 2019 and that's California," Appel said. Addressing Johnson's swastika, she added, "Despite the long tradition, I think we all know what this symbol means now. This is not only offensive to Jews, it is offensive to African Americans, but also to Americans of Asian and Mexican descent. It is offensive to just about everyone and we come to be considered as a symbol of hatred for everyone. "
Johnson's answer seems to be: Robust darts.
"I do not feel bad about installing it," he said. "I feel bad that everyone is doing such a business."
He also stated that he did not intend to delete it.
"That's what America stands for – it's my property, my choice," he said. "Some people do not like it and now I have to remove it? I appreciate it."
Come back for updates.
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