WESTPORT — Stickers linked to a white-nationalist, neo-fascist group have been discovered plastered on signs in the Saugatuck area — another example of hate graffiti vandalizing public property since the start of the year.

“Propaganda” stickers promoting the “Patriot Front,” classified by both the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center as a group that promotes a whites-only ideology for America, were found on multiple signs Wednesday, officials disclosed Thursday. 

Some of the stickers may have been posted a while ago, since several were tattered and obscured.

The Patriot Front embodies the white-supremacist cause with members’ belief that the nation should preserve the racial and religious traditions of early European colonists, according to research on domestic hate groups.

The Patriot Front stickers were discovered in the wake of several other instances of hate graffiti defacing public property in Westport since the first of the year.

That vandalism includes the Riverwalk, infrastructure near the state’s Saugatuck boat launch and a portable toilet at Compo Beach.

According to the ADL, the Patriot Front “spreads its hateful propaganda via the internet and by distributing banners, fliers, posters and stickers.” 

Since 2019, the ADL adds, the group is responsible for the “vast majority” of white-supremacist propaganda distributed in the U.S.

Police officials consulted the State Police Hate Crimes Unit after discovering the Patriot Front stickers, and confirmed the group’s propaganda has been distributed around the country, according to the announcement.

Officials added, however, there has been “no violence attached to this propaganda” reported to date.

First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker, in Thursday’s statement on the Patriot Front, said, “This does not represent Westport and is unacceptable. Nor does it diminish the qualities of our community that focus on volunteerism, neighborly engagement and civil discourse.

“We are proud of our residents and business and civic leaders who work tirelessly to make Westport a better place,” she said.

Tooker added that officials will work with TEAM Westport, the town’s multicultural advocacy group, and the ADL “to ensure that Westport is a place where everyone is welcome, and everyone feels that they belong.”

The first selectwoman, commending police action on the issue, urged residents to remain “vigilant” and to report similar incidents to the Police Department.

Police Chief Foti Koskinas concurred, stating the town’s police are committed to help make Westport a safe and welcoming town.

Evidence relating to the Patriot Front stickers or other hate graffiti should be reported to the Police Department’s Detective Bureau at 203-341-6080.