Virginia Governor Youngkin Issues Executive Order to Combat Anti-Semitism and Other Religious Hate Crimes

Youngkin's order enhances safety measures, asks for increased information exchange on potential antisemitic threats, expedited disbursement of grants for individuals or institutions facing threats on religious or ethnic grounds, and updated safety plans from higher education institutions in response to a reported rise in antisemitic incidents in Virginia.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has issued an executive order to combat increasing antisemitism and religious hate crimes in the state. The move comes in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The executive directive instructs law enforcement to advance information exchange and resource allocation on potential antisemitic acts through a specialized situation room. It also puts the Virginia Fusion Center, a collaboration of state police and Virginia emergency management officials, on a heightened state of alert.
The order requests the Department of Criminal Justice Services to expedite the disbursement of grant money for individuals or institutions facing threats based on their religious beliefs or ethnicity. This will bolster safety and security initiatives across the state.
Virginia's higher education institutions have been asked to develop updated comprehensive safety plans. Additionally, the school divisions have been directed to enhance safety resources.
The executive order comes after reports of antisemitic slogans during protests in Richmond, a man removing fliers on Virginia Commonwealth University's campus depicting kidnapped Israelis, and Jewish students at William & Mary reporting verbal assaults.