Parts of American U defaced by anti-Israel graffiti, school starts investigation
AU’s president warned that the school ‘immediately launched an investigation and expect[s] to hold those responsible for this disgraceful act accountable.’
The culprits spray painted messages like ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Divest Now.’
A part of American University’s (AU) Washington, D.C. campus was recently vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti, sparking an investigation from the university administration.
The university announced the vandalism on Oct 10. An entrance sign was spray painted with the word “genocide,” and other signs were defaced with the messages “Free Palestine” and “Divest Now,” according to NBC Washington.
President of AU Jonathan R. Alger condemned the vandalism and said the university “immediately launched an investigation and expect[s] to hold those responsible for this disgraceful act accountable.”
He warned that disciplinary measures and, potentially, criminal charges “will be considered” against any “members of the AU community” who participated in the vandalism.
“Expressing and advocating for deeply held beliefs is a core element of who we are as individuals and as a community. But when that advocacy becomes destructive, when it is expressed through behavior that violates our policies, laws, and values, it hurts our community. It creates distrust and discord when we are seeking to build connection and common bonds,” he continued.
The culprit (or culprits) also spray painted an inverted red triangle, a symbol used by the terror group Hamas to mark Israeli targets, and which has become a symbol for anti-Israel activists since the Oct. 7 massacre. The symbol has drawn controversy since the Nazis also used red triangles to single out certain prisoners.
Campus Reform has recently reported about the AU Student Government Undergraduate Senate’s (SGUS) decision to start a commission on divestment from Israel.
“I would say our point is researching and presenting an action plan for student government and American University at large to divest from Israeli occupation and the genocide of Palestinian people and Palestinian land,” said SGUS Speaker Pro-Tempore Hanna Hajdu.
The commission was tasked with creating a plan to boycott companies with Israeli connections. AU’s then-president Sylvia M. Burwell said at the time that SGUS’s divestment efforts do not “represent American University’s position and will not be implemented.”
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She added: “It is AU’s longstanding position to oppose boycotts, divestment from Israel, and other related actions known as BDS. Such actions threaten academic freedom, the respectful free expression of ideas and views, and the values of inclusion and belonging that are central to our community.”
Campus Reform also reported in April about AU placing its chapter of the controversial group Students for Justice in Palestine on probation after it hosted an indoor protest, directly trespassing against university regulations.
Campus Reform has contacted American University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
