Police on Friday arrested a University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst student for assaulting a Jewish student at the conclusion of a pro-Israel event on campus, according to a community note from the school.
The accused approached the group as the event finished up and punched a Jewish student who was holding the Israeli flag, according to UMass Hillel, the local Jewish student union. The unnamed suspect allegedly “took the flag and spit on it.” (RELATED: ‘Bait People To Take Them Down’: Pro-Palestinian Protesters Defend Tearing Down Posters Of Kidnapped Israeli Hostages)
The same individual approached the pro-Israel crowd during the event and made rude and aggressive gestures towards them, according to the press release.
The Jewish student “was not injured” and the alleged offender is forbidden to come back to the campus, the university announced in a notice sent out Monday. “The student will be subject to the legal consequences of their actions as well as the Student Code of Conduct,” UMass said.
“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,” the school added.
The local Hillel’s pro-Israel demonstration called for the return of hostages taken captive by the terrorist group Hamas in its surprise Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state. “It means a lot that people are gonna come together today and pray for and call for the return of the hostages,” UMass Hillel director Rabbi Aaron Fine told 22News.
Amherst solidarity walk spotlighting Israeli hostages https://t.co/XlrcoHT8lt
— WWLP-22News (@WWLP22News) November 3, 2023
A local Holocaust survivor also attended the event to show her solidarity, 22News reported. “It’s just delightful to see college students understand that we have to get those hostages back and we have to get rid of Hamas,” Henia Lewin told the outlet.