CNN
—
Two Jewish students at DePaul University in Chicago who “visibly demonstrated their support for Israel” were targeted Wednesday by masked assailants, according to a statement from the university’s president.
The students, two men in their 20s, were attacked by unknown assailants who punched one victim in the face and body and pushed the other to the ground before running away, the Chicago Police Department said, adding both declined emergency medical treatment.
“We are outraged that this occurred on our campus,” university president Robert L. Manuel said in a statement statement. “It is completely unacceptable and a violation of DePaul’s values to uphold and care for the dignity of every individual.”
“The university is actively working with the Chicago Police Department to investigate this incident so they can determine whether to classify it as a hate crime that targeted our students because of their Jewish identity,” Manuel said.
Chicago police said the incident is being classified as simple battery as the investigation continues. The police do not want to say whether the perpetrators wore masks.
How the victims showed support for Israel was not immediately clear. The event comes as tensions in the Middle East rage on, with Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza caused a terrible humanitarian crisis while encouraging global advocacy by supporters of Israel and the Palestinians, many in support of a ceasefire.
It follows one alleged hate crime incident in nearby West Rogers Park, where a suspect has been charged in an attack last month on a Jewish man on his way to a synagogue.
Threats to Jews in the United States tripled during the year following the deadly terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 by Hamas, preliminary data provided to CNN by Anti-Defamation League programs. The Council on American-Islamic Relations received 8,061 notifications of anti-Muslim bias 2023, the highest number in the 28 years the group has been tracking hate, it said in April.
“We will do everything we can to hold those responsible accountable for this outrageous incident,” DePaul’s president said Wednesday.
CNN has reached out to the state attorney general’s office for comment.
