Swastikas were found on the campuses of Emerson College and Syracuse University within a day of each other. At Emerson on January 22, four swastikas were found in a stairwell in the Piano Row dormitory. The graffiti subsequently was removed, and campus police are investigating the matter.
Emerson College President M. Lee Pelton condemned the graffiti in a campus-wide email. “This symbol, which was appropriated by fascists to represent and mobilize violence against Jews and millions of other marginalized people, is a form of hate speech,” Pelton wrote. “Defacing our campus with such a symbol is indefensibly abhorrent, and I ask all of you to join me in condemning it.”
Emerson’s student government issued a statement on January 23 condemning the graffiti. “It is not a prank, it is not a joke, it is a vile corruption that has no place on our campus,” the Student Government Association’s statement read.
Emerson College Hillel Chapter President Melissa Bordelon told student-run newspaper the Berkeley Beacon, “It’s a very, very difficult time for our Jewish community on campus. There will be conversations surrounding this topic for a long time, and Hillel will continue existing and continue being a community for Jewish students on campus.”
Anti-Defamation League New England tweeted, “Thank you @EmersonCollege
for taking swift action after finding four swastikas in a dorm. Denouncing hate speech and creating spaces for the community to come together are important steps in fighting hate.”
Thank you @EmersonCollege for taking swift action after finding four swastikas in a dorm. Denouncing hate speech and creating spaces for the community to come together are important steps in fighting hate. https://t.co/gIotFnKdAO
— ADL New England (@ADL_NewEngland) January 23, 2020
On January 21, a swastika was found on a table in the library on Syracuse’s campus. The campus Department of Public Safety announced it has identified the perpetrator and referred the unidentified person to the university’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
