Wheat Ridge councilmember says antisemitic hate speech during council meeting is "pretty sickening"

Hiding behind fake names and addresses, an attack of racist and antisemitic hate speech was launched from an online site to a suburban Denver-area public meeting. It came during the public comment section of Monday's Wheat Ridge City Council meeting.

Councilmember Leah Dozeman responded during the meeting, saying, "It's pretty sickening that we have people who contain that mindset."

In fact, the hijacking of public comment sessions for hate rants is not limited to Wheat Ridge. Mayor Bud Sparker told CBS News, Colorado, "I have talked to others, and apparently, this has happened in other communities. It's discouraging."

The war between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East has fueled hatred elsewhere. Scott Levin, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, commented, "Right now in America, we have two communities that are in a great deal of pain, the Jewish community and the Muslim communities that have been the targets of hate speech."

Guidelines posted for municipalities by the Municipal Research Services Center include eliminating remote public comments, requiring comments to be on items on the agenda, and verifying the identity of speakers.

The Wheat Ridge mayor says it's not that easy, "I hate to have these actors abridge the right that these citizens have to address their government."

Although the spewing of hatred came at a Wheat Ridge City Council meeting, there is no indication that the people speaking those words are from that city.

RELATED: Wheat Ridge city leaders condemn antisemitic hate speech presented to council