BELLINGHAM — Western Washington University police are investigating antisemitic and white supremacist graffiti found at Viking Union, and the student body president condemned the act using strong language in a statement posted to social media.
Both incidents were discovered last week on a “free speech” message board at the student center, where anyone can write with a dry-erase marker.
“This unacceptable and discriminatory act has harmed many members of our community, especially Jewish students,” Sargun Handa said on their Instagram page Sunday, Oct. 23.
Handa is president of the Associated Students of WWU, and the statement was shared on the Instagram page of Hillel, an ethnic and cultural club for Jewish students.
It was Hillel who flagged the incident and informed its followers on Thursday, Oct. 20.
University spokesperson Jonathan Higgins told The Bellingham Herald that WWU’s Bias Response Team was notified and the University Police Department is investigating.
“Antisemitism, white supremacy and hate in all its forms are unacceptable at Western Washington University, and we take this issue very seriously,” Higgins said in an email.
“We thank our students for documenting and reporting this, and we stand firmly with our Jewish community members and others who are affected,” he said.
Hillel shared photos of the offensive graffiti and cautioned its followers that images of Jewish hate followed.
According to those photos, the slogan “1488” was written on the board next to a hand-drawn caricature that resembled the antisemitic meme known as the “Happy Merchant,” which stereotypes Jews, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The numbers 1488 refer to the “Fourteen Words” motto of white supremacy and the Nazi greeting “Heil Hitler,” because “H” is the eighth letter of the alphabet.
“Any conduct that foments hate and furthers antisemitic tropes or beliefs is repugnant and has no place at Western Washington University or anywhere,” Hillel said on Instagram.
Several antisemitic incidents have been documented at WWU in recent years, including a swastika written on a Jewish student’s dorm door and a faculty member’s office, and books were vandalized in the Jewish Studies section of Wilson Library.
Hate crimes have been rising over the past several years in Washington state and the nation, according to the FBI, and Jews are among the most frequently targeted minority groups.
Anyone with information about the incident can call the University Police Department at 360-650-3555 or the anonymous tip line at 360-650-7233.
