Jewish Faculty Members Targeted in ‘Wanted’ Posters at the University of Rochester
“I want to be as clear as I can that the University of Rochester strongly denounces the recent display of ‘Wanted’ posters targeting senior University leaders and members of our faculty, staff, and Board of Trustees”
This is the type of thing that should shut down a college campus. Send in investigators from the civil rights division of the Justice Department.
CNN reports:
Hundreds of ‘wanted’ posters were plastered across the University of Rochester campus. Jewish faculty members were targeted
Hundreds of posters depicting Jewish faculty members as “wanted” were plastered across the University of Rochester campus in upstate New York on Sunday night, an antisemitic act the school’s president told CNN “would not be tolerated.”
The posters criticize faculty members for their alleged response to the war in Gaza. One poster accuses a faculty member of “ethnic cleansing” and “displacement of Palestinians.” A different poster accuses another faculty member of “racism,” “hate speech” and intimidation.
“I want to be as clear as I can that the University of Rochester strongly denounces the recent display of ‘Wanted’ posters targeting senior University leaders and members of our faculty, staff, and Board of Trustees,” university President Sarah Mangelsdorf said in a statement Tuesday. “This act is disturbing, divisive and intimidating and runs counter to our values as a university.”
The university’s Hillel organization, which represents Jewish students, called the posters “deeply disturbing” in a statement to CNN and said its director was one of the targets, as were Jewish faculty and staff, but no students.
The organization called the incident “an opportunity for the University to reflect on what is needed to instill meaningful education about Jewish Peoplehood and antisemitism, so that UR is a place where Jewish life can fully and safely thrive.”
University Public Safety Chief Quchee Collins in a letter posted on the school’s website called the incident “an act of vandalism” whose goal it seemed is to “intimidate members of our University community.” He said his department is investigating.
CNN also reached out to the Hillel director pictured on a poster, who responded with an automatic email reply.
Images are emerging from the University of Rochester of "Wanted" posters being plastered on the walls.
The wanted individuals? The University's Jewish faculty.
So, what are students meant to do when they find the people on these signs? pic.twitter.com/7HRGzvC9nh
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) November 12, 2024
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Comments
I hope they will find out who is responsible and enact appropriate punishments, for example permanent expulsion and hate crime charges.
I agree about expulsion, but where’s the crime? Damaging a wall by using thumb tacks? (BTW, I oppose the concept of “hate crime”, which punishes not only the crime but also the thought behind it. It’s only a short step to punishing the thought, alone, without an accompanying crime.)
Merely putting up flyers is an offense, even if it doesn’t damage the wall.
And the hate crime enhancement doesn’t punish the thought; it treats the underlying crime more seriously because it is more serious. A crime intended to intimidate a whole class of people does a lot more harm than one that is only targeted at its immediate victim.
To follow up on my earlier comment, I think there is a violation of the NY Penal Law here (less serious than a crime): harassment, which allows a fine and up to 15 days in jail.
One thing I find fascinating is that after a decade of manufactured anti-Black racism claims (no not all but quite a percentage) we suddenly find ourselves with a full year of anti-Jewish racism, none of which has been faked as far as we know. Horrifying.
I wish we could put it down to country bumpkins with a lack of education, but it mostly seems to be college students. WTF?
The University won’t even charge the responsible people for the cost of removing these posters. No consequences!
First Amendment protected speech.
Agree with your first sentence. The second sentence is not true but it will be the excuse for doing nothing.
As Hen Mazzig asks onhis X account, ‘So, what are students meant to do when they find the people on these signs?’ These aren’t expressions of the 1st Amendment, they are threats.
They are not threats, and they are protected speech.
But they are also vandalism, which is already a crime, and that crime is motivated by hatred, so it can be charged as a hate crime.
Everyone targeted should arm themselves, New York or no New York.