November 2nd 2024.
Early on Friday, the University of Colorado was marked with messages of support for Hamas and condemnation of Israel's ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip. This caused concern among university officials and Jewish students, who were quick to rebuke the vandalism.
Pictures of the spray-painted messages were shared on social media in response to a post by the CU Police Department addressing the incident. Police spokesperson Nicole Mueksch stated that an investigation was underway to identify the vandals responsible for the unknown number of acts.
One of the messages, found near the Kittredge residence halls, read "HAMAS IS RESISTANCE" accompanied by a downward-pointing triangle. Other messages included profane criticisms of Israel and endorsements of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Some even accused Israel of having "blood on their hands" and committing another Holocaust in Gaza.
According to Mueksch, the vandalism extended beyond just buildings and also affected pedestrian walkways. She also mentioned that there has been an increase in complaints about antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since October 2023 when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel's southern border, leading to Israel's bombing and invasion of Gaza.
The Jewish student organization, CU Boulder Hillel, released a statement expressing their deep disturbance by the antisemitic vandalism and graffiti. They stressed that these messages do not align with the values of the university community. As they continue to witness a rise in antisemitism on college campuses and throughout the country, they emphasized that there is no room for hate or intimidation towards Jewish students at the University of Colorado.
The university also condemned the graffiti in their own statement, labeling it as "antisemitic" and reminding students that it goes against the school's free expression policies and state law. They urged for difficult conversations to be approached in a respectful and civil manner, rather than through destructive acts like vandalism.
As of Saturday morning, the graffiti was still in the process of being removed and the cost of the removal is yet to be determined. Any members of the public with information about the incident are encouraged to contact the police anonymously online or at 303-492-6666, referencing the case number 2024-2190.
Sign up to receive daily crime news in your inbox.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
