ATLANTA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into an antisemitic letter sent to Georgia’s only Jewish lawmaker.
The investigation is happening on the same day Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill making antisemitism part of the state’s hate crime law.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Sandy Springs Democrat Esther Panitch was front and center to watch the bill signing as law enforcement investigates the antisemitic letter sent to her house.
The content is so hateful, we can’t mention what it said.
“I turned it over to law enforcement,” Panitch said.
She said letters like these, and other antisemitic acts are why she pushed so hard to get this bill passed.
“I’m hoping it’s a last-gasp desperate attempt to get that in, the last vestiges of antisemitism to the one Jewish lawmaker before the bill take effect,” Panitch said.
TRENDING STORIES
- Fulton DA, special prosecutor subpoenaed to testify over allegations of ‘improper relationship’
- Father arrested after wife accused of beating 8-year-old daughter to death in Gwinnett County
- Metro Atlanta city’s water tank cracks open, spilling out thousands of gallons of water
Marietta Republican lawmaker John Carson authored the original bill and has worked for almost three years to get it passed.
He was shocked to learn of the hate-filled letter to Panitch.
“Absurd,” Carson said. “I just feel for Esther and her community. That’s why we fought for this bill in the first place,” Carson said.
The bill passed the General Assembly with mostly bi-partisan support.
Kemp said he was honored to sign it into law, a law that goes into effect immediately.
“There is no place for hate in this great state,” Kemp said.
The law defines antisemitism in Georgia code, so if investigators determine one of a list of crimes was motivated by antisemitism, prosecutors can prosecute under Georgia’s hate crime law.
RELATED NEWS:
This browser does not support the video element.