A Kamala Harris supporter has been arrested for painting a swastika on a pro-Trump sign on another person’s property in Cohasset, Massachusetts.
The Cohasset Police Department has charged 74-year-old Frederick Laidlaw with a felony after he trespassed on private property on Route 3A earlier this week, then proceeded to draw a swastika in black paint on the property owner’s campaign sign supporting former President Donald Trump, according to a report from local news station WCVB.
The media has shared footage of the vandalism showing a swastika painted in black on a white sign, covering up the lettering of “Trump” on the sign.
Laidlaw, who has been confirmed to be a strong supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris, was charged with defacement of property and has been ordered to stay away from the property where the sign was located as well as the family who owns the property.
He also spoke with local media reporters to defend his criminal actions of defacing a political sign with a Nazi symbol.
“I’ve been dedicating my life to peace, nonviolence and the American way,” the Harris supporter claimed. “All I’ve been hearing and I do believe it, on [Trump’s] actions, what he says and the people he deals with, that they are wannabe fascists.”
When asked whether he regretted painting a swastika on a Trump sign, Laidlaw claimed that he did and he would not be committing similar crimes in the future.
Meanwhile, the victim of the hate crime also spoke to the police. Kevin O’Donnell, the resident who put up the sign, told the media: “Of all the things to put on a sign, the symbol of hate, of the Nazis, the swastika, is so inappropriate at any time in America. Given the history of that symbol, should never be used.”
Shockingly, O’Donnell is actually related to a radical leftist MSNBC host, Lawrence O’Donnell, telling the media that he sees his brother as “wonderful, generous, [and] fantastic” despite their political differences.
“We get along great,” he added. “We have absolutely no political fights in our family.”
A man from Cohasset is facing charges, accused of painting a swastika on a Trump campaign sign. pic.twitter.com/TD4vZFaKEn
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) November 1, 2024
Massachusetts Republican Party Chairwoman Amy Carnevale also responded to the vandalism in a statement posted to X.
“We are profoundly disturbed by the recent hate crime in Cohasset, where one of our Republican Town Committee (RTC) Chairs had a Trump sign defaced with a spray-painted swastika,” the statement read. “The swastika is a symbol that represents the absolute worst moments in the history of the Jewish people. It is a symbol that represents the murder of 6 million Jews. To place it on the banner of the most pro-Jewish and pro-Israel president in modern history does nothing more than further insult the memory of those Jews who were murdered and continued to be persecuted for their religious identity. When prominent political figures employ extreme rhetoric—labeling Republicans as ‘fascists’ or ‘Nazis’—they contribute to a climate that invites this kind of crime into our communities. There is no place for antisemitism in our nation, and we sincerely hope that the individual responsible for this heinous act is swiftly brought to justice.”
“We are profoundly disturbed by the recent hate crime in Cohasset, where one of our Republican Town Committee (RTC) Chairs had a Trump sign defaced with a spray-painted swastika.
The swastika is a symbol that represents the absolute worst moments in the history of the Jewish…
— MassGOP (@massgop) October 30, 2024
