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Stickers with name of hate group seen in Metairie

"It's heart-wrenching," said one resident. "I have kids growing up in the area, we have patrons coming in and out who are different nationalities, we don't discriminate."

METAIRIE, La. — There's confusion in Metairie as to why stickers appearing to name a white supremacy and neo-Nazi group are popping up. It's unclear who put them up and how long they've been out there, but people say there's no place for them.

Placed on utility poles along Metairie Road, these small stickers carry an unfamiliar message.

"Instead of going forward in life, it looks like we're taking a step back," said resident Keilin Guillard.

"It's completely out of character for this area," said Donald Mansour.

Under a teal triangle with three lines that join in the middle are the words 'Identity Evropa,' a group founded in 2016 that according to the Anti-Defamation League believes America was not intended to be a multi-racial society. On the Southern Poverty Law Center's website, it's been designated a 'Hate Group.'

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"I just don't see room for something that divides us," said Jennifer Van Vrancken, District 5 Councilwoman.

Van Vrancken read about them after hearing of the stories and said she is shocked.

"I'm about us celebrating what and who we are," she said. "The line for me is when you start to hurt someone else that's really where it stops. That's not about celebration of heritage that's about hate."

Most people we spoke with hadn't seen them, but were horrified to learn of their existence because they say the city's culture and people are usually celebrated.

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"It upsets me," said Mansour. "In our society we should love each other, help each other, put aside the hate and grow as a community."

"It's heart-wrenching," added Guillard. "I have kids growing up in the area, we have patrons coming in and out who are different nationalities, we don't discriminate."

Action is being taken.

"I did contact the administration today," said Van Vrancken. "I asked them to remove the stickers because we don't want anything that encourages something hateful in our environment."

Some have already come down, a move people are applauding. Because for them, it's not about hate but accepting others for who they are and where they come from.

"That's what we're about in Louisiana, we give love," said Guillard.

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