The Ann Arbor Police Department (AAPD) in Michigan announced on Sunday that it had launched an investigation after a Jewish man was assaulted in the street by a “group of unidentified men.”
According to the AAPD, the group of men asked the 19-year-old victim if he was Jewish, and attacked him when he answered that he was Jewish. (Related: 'Heartbreaking': Report finds elite university faculty refused to step in, protect Jewish students from anti-Semitism)
Police said the victim sustained minor injuries during the assault and called police. The suspects fled the scene, AAPD added.
“We take bias-motivated crimes very seriously and have assigned this case to hate crimes detectives,” the press release read.
“I have been in contact with University of Michigan police officials and it is my goal to discuss safety in the coming weeks. There is absolutely no room for hate or ethnic intimidation in the city of Ann Arbor, and our police department opposes anti-Semitism and bias-motivated criminal acts,” AAPD Police Chief Andre C. Anderson said in a press release.
Investigating ethnic intimidation pic.twitter.com/nfY8SgPu9N
— Ann Arbor Police Department (@A2Police) September 16, 2024
In a press release, AAPD emphasized that the investigation is still in its early stages.
“In difficult times, we at Michigan Hillel draw strength from our incredible community of students, parents, alumni and friends, and that strength fuels our pride and joy in being Jewish, especially at the University of Michigan,” Michigan Hillel's CEO said. Rabbi Davy Rosen Written In a press release.
Signage at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross Athletic Campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
“The safety of our campus community is our number one priority,” Santa Ono said, stressing that the university “stands firmly against any and all acts of anti-Semitism and bigotry.” Reported.
Campus Public Safety and Security Department Acknowledged In a press release titled “Suspected Assault,” police said the victim was “walking with friends when the suspects asked her about her religion.”
