Fresh on the heels of news about this desecration of our war dead .....
Jewish graves were desecrated over the weekend at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. Their tombstones were knocked over or uprooted, while other graves were left undisturbed. “Every headstone has an emblem, most of them are crosses, but some with a Star of David. Every one of them that was targeted had a Star of David and that is why we consider it a hate crime,” said Lt. Bobby Caruthers.
Jewish headstones vandalized in veterans' cemetery
Wednesday, 07 Mar 2012
BUSHNELL - Detectives in central Florida are investigating a hate crime in Bushnell – the vandalism of Jewish headstones in a veterans' cemetery.
Sumter County Sheriff's Office detectives started their investigation into what happened to the headstones on Monday. Several headstones in two sections of the Florida National Cemetery were found pushed over or dug out last weekend.
The headstones were identified as Jewish by the Stars of David on them.
Lawmakers in Florida chastised the crime upon hearing the news.
"This is a tragic and despicable incident, and whoever is responsible for this should be ashamed of their actions and brought to justice," Florida Rep. Gus Bilirakis said in a statement obtained by FOX 13. "Not only did these vandals desecrate the memorials of those who fought and died to protect our freedom, but they targeted individuals simply because of their religious beliefs."
The Florida National Cemetery is run by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"We are talking about the final resting place for members of the Armed Forces," Florida Rep. Rich Nugent said in a statement. "To violate the sanctity of such a place is appalling, and if early reports are accurate and that the attacks were indeed motivated by anti-Semitism and a hatred of religious freedom, it is an attack on the very liberties that these soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and Coast Guard gave their lives for. It is unacceptable on so many levels. I hope the authorities catch the vandals and that they catch them soon."




