Swastika daubed in Tyneside being removed

A swastika daubed with coronavirus conspiracies in Tyneside is being removed by the local council.

The graffiti was reported to authorities on Monday by local activist Gary Spedding. It says: “BBC = fake news. Covid19 = Psyop Hoax. Resist Tyranny”, followed by the Nazi symbol.

Spedding said on Twitter, he was “horrified by this conspiracist and antisemitic graffiti in Tynemouth on the path that goes from the Fish Quay to the Priory.”

A North Tyneside Council spokesperson said : “The council is removing offensive graffiti this morning following reports from members of the public.”

Gateshead, in Tyneside, is home to a large strictly-Orthodox Jewish community including numerous prestigious yeshivas.

Spedding said: “Our area of Tynemouth and North Shields is incredibly diverse. We receive frequent visits from the Orthodox Jewish community in Gateshead. It is horrifying to me that displays of such hatred would be there to confront such visitors, who would feel anxious about the area they are in. Conspiracy theories and antisemitism have absolutely no place in our local community or society.”