Stanford University is investigating an antisemitic incident on campus in which swastikas and an image resembling Adolf Hitler were left on a student’s dorm door.
The images were discovered on whiteboard affixed to the door Friday morning in what the Stanford administration described as a “brazen threat to an individual student,” the school said in a letter to students.
Stanford Investigating Incident as Hate Crime
The campus public safety department is investigating it as a hate crime. The school also posted a notice to its Protected Identity Harm site, where incidents of hateful and discriminatory conduct can be reported.
“Purposely intimidating and threatening people based on protected identities is antithetical to Stanford’s values,” the notice said. “Antisemitism and other acts of hate and intolerance are unacceptable on this campus.” The school urged anyone with information about the perpetrator to contact public safety.
Third Such Incident in 2 Weeks
A men’s bathroom stall was similarly defaced with antisemitic images in a campus building a week before the dorm door incident. The school reported that it found a swastika with “KKK” surrounding it carved into the wall of a handicapped stall on March 3.
And on Feb. 28, a different restroom stall was vandalized with multiple swastikas, the N-word, and the letters “KKK,” the school said.
Stanford said both incidents were considered hate crimes under California law. “Vandalizing property particularly with words intended to threaten and intimidate individuals (specifically in this case Black and Jewish communities) is contrary to Stanford’s values,” the school statement said. “It is absolutely unacceptable in our community.”
