UC Davis finds Nazi swastikas on campus again; chancellor calls those responsible ‘cowards’
Drawings of Nazi swastikas were found Thursday on the University of California, Davis campus, prompting a response from the school’s chancellor who called those who left behind the hateful antisemitic images “cowards.”
UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May said the campus’ Jewish community is still reeling from two antisemitic incidents there this summer. In late August, the UC Davis Police Department launched an investigation after antisemitic banners were displayed on a campus overpass.
The swastika drawings were found Thursday in Alder Hall, which is a residence hall for first-year students. The incident was reported to the UC Davis Harassment and Discrimination Assistance and Prevention Program and UC Davis police. The chancellor said the graffiti was immediately removed.
“I condemn those cowards who once more have tried to intimidate our students,” May said in a campus message posted online. “We are seeing a rise in antisemitism not only on our campus but at many other universities in California, and the Anti-Defamation League has reported an alarming rise in antisemitism overall.”
May knows condemning the hateful images is not enough. He said campus officials will continue to meet with Jewish students, faculty and staff “to not only show our support but talk through any solutions.”
He invited the campus community to learn more on the UC Davis Addressing Antisemitism website. May said several campus leaders joined him a few weeks ago in meeting with students who represent the Jewish community on campus to discuss how to continue to show support “when many live in fear.”
The UC Davis Advisory Council on Jewish Life is working with May and others to learn what else they can do to address antisemitism and offer support.
“The perpetrators of these crimes do not in any way embody the values of UC Davis,” May said in his message to the campus community. “We will always stand strong against hate.”
Law enforcement officials reported 78 hate crimes in Sacramento County during 2021, triple the number that occurred in 2020 and more than any other year since 2003, state data shows. The most common type of hate crime reported was vandalism or destruction of property, which accounted for 27 incidents.
In early September, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg gathered community groups and elected leaders to denounce images of a swastika found on a classroom wall at California State University, Sacramento and along J Street near the campus entrance. On Sept. 29, Sacramento State President Robert S. Nelsen announced that a school employee found a Nazi swastika defacing a sign in the campus Arboretum.
In mid-September, maintenance crews found a large Nazi swastika and an antisemitic slur carved into a putting green at the Cherry Island Golf Course operated by Sacramento County.
Investigators asked anyone with information about the swastika drawings found Thursday or any other incidents to call UC Davis police at 530-752-1727.
This story was originally published October 13, 2022 at 7:20 PM.
