Jewish fraternity harassed following pro-Palestine rally on Rutgers campus, authorities say

A pro-Palestinian organization at Rutgers College has denied its customers have been liable for yelling anti-Semitic remarks, spitting and throwing objects at members of a Jewish fraternity last 7 days.

The Friday afternoon incident exterior Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity on Sicard Street took location just after Pupils for Justice in Palestine at Rutgers-New Brunswick held a rally at close by Brower Commons on the Faculty Avenue campus, according to both of those teams.

No fraternity customers were being hit with just about anything or hurt, according to the Rutgers College Police Office. A 6-next movie with no sound posted by the fraternity exhibits people today in cars and trucks waving Palestine flags outside the residence.

Then on Tuesday morning, a person tossed an egg at the fraternity household someday among 5 a.m. and 8 a.m, police reported. There had been no witnesses.

While Alpha Epsilon Pi explained associates of the Pupils for Justice in Palestine “congregated exterior of our chapter dwelling, chanting and encouraging violence,” adhering to Friday’s rally, the pro-Palestinian group stated no just one affiliated with their group took portion.

“For this explanation, we have conducted our very own inquiries into the steps that took position and can ensure that none of the persons associated are college students at Rutgers-New Brunswick,” College students for Justice in Palestine explained in a statement. “The steps executed have been lone acts by people that have no official or informal affiliation to our corporation.”

Learners for Justice in Palestine claimed that Alpha Epsilon Pi members tried to antagonize their team at the professional-Palestine rally.

“Our inquiries led to the acquisition of online video footage which implies that it was customers of AEPi who approached the persons who attended our rally with slurs, Islamophobic rhetoric, and attempts to provoke bodily altercation,” College students for Justice in Palestine explained.

In its statement, the group condemned the anti-Semitic habits.

“Individuals who program to engage in antisemitic or or else hateful habits are not welcome into our business or at any of our occasions, rallies and/or protests. Attempts to conflate actions of lone individuals with an complete group and business are only meant to further more antagonize anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia and restrict absolutely free speech in university configurations.

Rutgers University officers, meanwhile, said safety all over the fraternity will be beefed up.

“Initial representations regarding the incident are disturbing,” Rutgers chancellor-provost Francine Conway wrote in a letter to the university neighborhood. “We recognize and are delicate to the fears of all those who ended up qualified, and stand by our Jewish college students, school and workers.”

In April 2021, vandals tossed eggs at Alpha Epsilon Pi all through a Holocaust remembrance celebration.

The vandals confirmed up at the home for the duration of the yearly 24-hour studying of the names of Holocaust victims on April 7 and 8, the university stated. No 1 has been charged in relationship with that incident, a Rutgers spokeswoman verified Thursday.

The fraternity said the continued harassment won’t be tolerated.

“Only by aggressively pushing back on this kind of antisemitism can we anticipate to make a variance,” it reported in a social media post. “Alpha Epsilon Pi International is undertaking anything probable to assure the safety of our brothers and campus Jewish communities.”

Jeff Goldman may well be reached at [email protected]. Comply with him on Twitter @JGoldmanNJ.

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