A blue flag with a Star of David, two swastikas and the letters \u201cNYU\u201d was waving on the roof of the Steinhardt building as hundreds of graduates and family members walked along West Fourth Street during NYU\u2019s annual Grad Alley event shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Passersby at the outdoor celebration spotted the flag \u2014 which repeatedly moved up and down the flagpole \u2014 before it was removed around 15 minutes later. Shortly after, at least four New York City Police Department officers and five Campus Safety personnel entered the building. An NYU staff member who requested to remain anonymous told WSN the NYPD will review camera footage in the next few days and potentially investigate the incident as a hate crime.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are shocked and deeply troubled that this hateful symbol expressing antisemitism was raised on a flagpole overlooking Washington Square Park,\u201d NYU spokesperson Wiley Norvell said in a statement to WSN. \u201cCampus Safety responded immediately to remove it and we are working closely with the NYPD to identify whoever is responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The staff member said the roof is typically locked and inaccessible to students, but that campus safety or other employees may have access. They said an NYU administrator first reported the incident to the Campus Safety department, although it is unclear who took the flag down.<\/p>\n
Tisch senior Max Bolen said he noticed it at around 5:15 p.m. while standing with his friends by Bobst Library.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt definitely looked like it was bobbing up and down, and it was hidden behind the wall so you couldn\u2019t see it for like a solid minute\u00a0and then it would come back,\u201d Bolen, a Jewish student, said in an interview with WSN.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NYU Hillel president and CAS junior Adina Fridman told WSN the incident was \u201cbroader pattern in which antisemitism is increasingly dismissed or normalized under the guise of political expression.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSymbols tied to the genocide of millions of Jews carry profound pain and trauma, and their use has no place in a campus community that values dignity, safety, and respectful dialogue,\u201d Fridman wrote in a statement. \u201cI appreciate the swift response of the university in removing the display shortly after it was reported and for taking the incident seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last December, Campus Safety and the NYPD investigated graffiti<\/a> displaying a swastika alongside profanities directed toward Indian, Black and Jewish students at NYU\u2019s Dibner Library as a hate crime. In September, Campus Safety also investigated defacement of a Weinstein Hall<\/a> door \u201cwith antisemitic graffiti.\u201d Around a week prior, Campus Safety also looked into an antisemitic hate crime<\/a> after a student\u2019s mezuzah was stolen from their Weinstein dorm door.\u00a0<\/p>\n Amanda Chen contributed reporting.\u00a0<\/p>\n