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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 unidentified student is accused of assaulting their peer at an event 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.
The suspect first approached participants and aggressively gave them the finger before walking away, according to UMass Hillel, which organized the solemn gathering.
But the same student came back shortly after and allegedly punched the Jewish student holding an Israeli flag before ripping it out of the victim’s hands, the organization said. The aggressor then reportedly spit on the flag.
The unnerving incident was witnessed by university staff, UMass Hillel said.
UMass police probed the “deeply disturbing incident” and made an arrest the same night, school officials in a message to students. The victim was not injured, the school also said.
The offending student was released on bail, but is banned from returning to campus, said Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Shelly Perdomo-Ahmed and Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Police Tyrone Parham.
“What this student is accused of is reprehensible, illegal, and unacceptable,” the two school leaders said in a joint statement. “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 them themselves.”
UMass Hillel said there is no ongoing security threat, but encouraged students to walk in groups at night and to not engage with counter-protesters.
College campuses have seen growing instances of antisemitism since Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,400 Israelis in a shocking attack, prompting the Israel Defense Forces to bomb Gaza.
“We know this incident is disturbing to many of us, particularly during a time when tensions, emotion and concern are heightened on our campus,” UMass Hillel said in its statement. “But we must not let the most extreme voices and actions create undue fear or dominate the campus climate.”
Perdomo-Ahmed and Parham additionally said in their statement, “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.”
