Jewish students at Northwestern University were met with a disturbing scene as several campus buildings were defaced with red paint bearing hateful messages such as “death to Israel” and “intifada now.” The vandalism, which also included an inverted triangle (a symbol associated with Hamas and adopted by some pro-Palestinian protesters), has been widely condemned as an antisemitic act.
Michael Simon, executive director of Northwestern’s Hillel, expressed outrage in a message to the community, stating, “We are appalled by the vile and hateful graffiti and messages that appeared on University buildings and property. This is especially painful as it occurred during Passover, a time when we are celebrating the Festival of Freedom with family and friends.”
He emphasized that antisemitism and hate have no place at the university, located just north of Chicago.
The unregistered pro-Israel group Students Supporting Israel at Northwestern shared photos of the vandalism on Instagram, calling it “a direct threat to Jewish students’ safety and security at Northwestern.”
