News
Published
Nov. 6, 2023, 1:32 a.m. ET
UMass student accused of punching Jewish student, spitting on Israeli flag.
X / @UMassAmherst
A University of Massachusetts Amherst student was arrested after allegedly punching a Jewish student and spitting on an Israeli flag at the end of a vigil Friday night, school officials said.
The incident occurred during an event organized by UMass Hillel, where empty seats were set up at a Shabbat table to represent the more than 200 hostages taken by Hamas fighters during their Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. According to witnesses, the suspect initially approached participants and aggressively gave them the finger before walking away.
However, the same student later returned and allegedly punched the Jewish student who was holding an Israeli flag, before ripping it out of their hands and spitting on it. University staff witnessed the unnerving incident, according to UMass Hillel.
UMass police began investigating the incident and made an arrest the same night. The victim was not injured, and the offending student was released on bail but has been banned from returning to campus, according to Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Shelly Perdomo-Ahmed and Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Police Tyrone Parham.
In a joint statement, Perdomo-Ahmed and Parham condemned the actions of the student, stating, “What this student is accused of is reprehensible, illegal, and unacceptable. Let us be clear, these were the actions of an individual who did not speak for nor act on behalf of a group or anyone other than themselves.”
UMass Hillel reassured students that there is no ongoing security threat but advised them to walk in groups at night and to not engage with counter-protesters. They also emphasized the importance of not letting extreme voices and actions create undue fear or dominate the campus climate.
The incident occurs amidst a growing instances of antisemitism on college campuses since the Hamas attack in which over 1,400 Israelis were killed. The Israel Defense Forces responded by bombing Gaza.
Perdomo-Ahmed and Parham further stated, “Antisemitism, Islamophobia, or any form of bigotry have no place in our community, and we are committed to ensuring that our community’s engagement with opposing viewpoints is maintained in a respectful manner.”