Arson at Maryland Day-Labor Center

In “Investigators Declare Fire Was Arson,” Lori Aratani of the Washington Post (here) reports on an early morning fire at a day-labor center near Gaithersburg, Maryland that investigators say was caused by arson. The fire caused little damage but raised concerns about anti-immigrant sentiment. “We see this as a natural consequence to the ongoing debate over immigration,” said Christy Swanson, program director for Casa of Maryland. “We also consider it a hate crime.”

One reader wrote this in response to the story: “I’m reminded of Tony Blair’s words at Auschwitz – that Krytal Nacht did not begin with the breakinbg of glass, but with words, the anti-Semitic slurs in German newspapers and on the streets…”

KJ