Three middle school students from Calvert County, Maryland, have been charged with violating the state’s hate crime laws, officials say.
The 13-year-olds attending Plum Point Middle School in Huntingtown, Maryland, were charged after they “displayed swastikas, made Nazi salutes, and directed offensive comments to a classmate because of the classmate’s religious beliefs,” according to a Friday release from the state’s attorney's office and charging documents.
“Maryland was founded on the principle of religious toleration. It is frankly astonishing that nearly 400 years later some people continue to persecute others based upon their religion,” Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey said in part in the release.
The harassment allegedly began in December of last year. The victim reported the students’ behavior to the Maryland State Police after it continued for months and multiple requests to stop, according to the state's attorney's office.
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Officers then investigated and filed juvenile charges of harassment and hate crime violations. The charges will be handled by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, the state's attorney's office said.
