AMHERST, Mass. — A University of Massachusetts Amherst student was arrested Friday after allegedly punching a Jewish student who was holding an Israeli flag and then spitting on the flag.
The alleged assault happened after UMass Hillel held a walk and gathering on campus, as students called for the return of the 240 Israeli hostages taken during Hamas’ October 7 attack in Israel. The event included symbolic Shabbat tables with empty seats for each of the hostages being held by terrorists in Gaza.
As the event was concluding an individual, identified as a UMass Amherst student, approached the gathering and walked through the crowd, aggressively giving people the middle finger, according to school officials and UMass Chief of Police.
That same student then returned to the event, after security had left, assaulted a Jewish student holding an Israeli flag, then took the flag and spit on it, UMass Hillel leaders said.
Fortunately, the student who was assaulted was not injured, police said.
A Hillel staff member stepped in to stop the assault, and the incident was witnessed by UMass staff. A police report was filed, and UMass Police officers arrested the student.
The student was released on bail, with conditions prohibiting them from returning to campus, according to university officials who called it a “deeply disturbing incident.”
The student will be subject to the legal consequences of their actions as well as the Student Code of Conduct.
“What this student is accused of is reprehensible, illegal, and unacceptable,” UMass Amherst officials wrote to students on Sunday. “Let us be clear, these were the actions of an individual who did not speak for nor act on behalf of a group or anyone other than themselves. Peaceful advocacy and protest must and will be protected on our campus.”
The leader of ADL New England called this alleged assault the “latest proof point that Jewish students are under attack,” on college campuses.
“That this occurred on the Jewish Sabbath, immediately following a peaceful gathering held by UMass Amherst Hillel calling for the return of the nearly 300 hostages held by Hamas, is an example of the disturbing reality for Jewish students on campus right now,” said ADL New England Regional Director Jonah Steinberg.
Steinberg also called on UMass leadership to more fully address antisemitism and to create a task force or advisory council to address Jewish life on campus.
“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,” said university officials.
While there is no indication of any ongoing threats to the UMass community, police continue to be vigilant and UMass Hillel says they will maintain increased security out of an abundance of caution.
“We know this incident is disturbing to many of us, particularly during a time when tensions, emotion and concern are heightened on our campus,” UMass Hillel added. “But we must not let the most extreme voices and actions create undue fear or dominate the campus climate. It is vital that our campus community model civility, as the Jewish community did on Friday in publicly and peacefully showing solidarity with the 240 hostages.”
Students are encouraged to report any incident that occurs that may be in violation of the Student Code of Conduct here.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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