The Michigan chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a local chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned racist and neo-Nazi messages on digital billboards in metro Detroit over the weekend celebrating Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
The message used coded language to deceive the billboard companies and to refer to Hitler, Nazis, and white supremacy. The billboard companies later apologized, saying the messages were purchased by “an organization that disguised itself and its purpose with deceptive imagery and wording…The group used silhouetted images, acronyms, and other deceptive tactics to get past our initial screening process.”
SEE: Racist billboards appeared across metro Detroit on Hitler’s birthday – Detroit Metro Times
In a statement CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid said:
“We condemn this deceptive campaign to honor one of history’s worst mass murderers and to promote racism and white supremacy. All Americans must reject the hatred and bigotry these billboards represent.”
He said CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
SEE: CAIR Condemns Distribution of White Supremacist Material in Idaho
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CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director, Dawud Walid (248) 842-1418, dwalid@cair.com; CAIR-MI Staff Attorney, Amy V. Doukoure, (586) 943-8823, adoukoure@cair.com