A University of Michigan student was assaulted by a group of unknown males over the weekend after confirming to them that he was Jewish.
The Ann Arbor Police Department said they are investigating the incident, which they called a “bias-motivated assault.”
Police said the 19-year-old victim was walking around 12:45 a.m. Sunday when a group of males behind him asked him if he was Jewish. After replying yes, the group proceeded to attack him, the victim told police. They then fled the area on foot.
The victim suffered minor injuries and did not require hospitalization, police said.
“We take bias-motivated crimes very seriously and have assigned this incident to our hate crimes detective," AAPD said in a press release. “Right now, it is very early in the investigation and have limited information on the suspects. We will provide additional information when it becomes available.”
Police Chief Andre Anderson spoke out in a statement, denouncing antisemitism and bias-motivated crimes.
"I have communicated with the University of Michigan police staff, and our goal is to discuss safety over the next few weeks,” Anderson said. “There is absolutely no place for hate or ethnic intimidation in the City of Ann Arbor. Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes. We are committed to vigorously investigating this and other hate-motivated incidents and will work with the County Prosecutor’s office to aggressively prosecute those who are responsible."
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University of Michigan President Santa J. Ono issued a message to the community, saying antisemitism has no place at the school.
“We strongly condemn and denounce this act of violence and all antisemitic acts. Antisemitism is in direct conflict with the university’s deeply held values of safety, respect and inclusion and has no place within our community,” Ono said.
“The University of Michigan is a place where all students — regardless of their race, sex, nationality, and religion — deserve to feel safe and protected as they pursue the important work of becoming citizens of the wider world. Who we are and how we worship should never be a reason to strike out against another. Let me say it again – antisemitism has no place on campus and is antithetical to the core values of the University of Michigan,” he said.
The school was previously the site of pro-Palestinian encampments on campus, which were raided by police.
Authorities are urging anyone with information related to the incident to contact the AAPD tip line via phone at (734) 794- 6939, or to email tips@a2gov.org.
An investigation remains ongoing.
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