Swastika painted on sidewalk in Colorado town: report

A large swastika was spray painted on a sidewalk in Colorado Springs, Colo., this week, according to The Denver Post.

The incident comes at the same time that a white nationalist group known as Identity Evropa has increased its recruitment and media efforts in the state.

A pedestrian walking his dog discovered the black-painted hate symbol on Briargate Trail in a sparsely populated area that leads through a field, according to the article.

{mosads}The swastika remained on the pavement Wednesday evening, and the pedestrian reportedly informed police and public officials in hopes of having it removed.

Briargate Trail “is my quiet place to relax from my day,” said attorney Brad Sherman, who reported the incident to authorities. “To see a swastika in the middle of it is fairly upsetting.”

One Colorado state lawmaker warned residents to call police with any information about members of white nationalists groups defacing property.

“A white supremacist group was in Colorado today. Stay vigilant and call the police if you spot them defacing property. Colorado is no place for their hatred,” Joe Salazar tweeted.

A white supremacist group was in Colorado today. Stay vigilant and call the police if you spot them defacing property. Colorado is no place for their hatred. #copoliticshttps://t.co/2f7kbSkTFR

— Joe Salazar (@Joe4COAG) August 24, 2018

The swastika’s appearance coincides with recent gatherings and propaganda distributed by Identity Evropa across the state, including in public places across the Denver area, according to the newspaper.

While shying away from explicitly racist language, Identity Evropa declares itself a white nationalist organization on its website.

“Identity Evropa is at the forefront of the racist ‘alt-right’s’ effort to recruit white, college-aged men and transform them into the fashionable new face of white nationalism,” the group’s description reads.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups around the country, says that Identity Evropa is one of 21 actively tracked groups operating in the state.