University of Michigan President Santa Ono's home and sidewalk were vandalized Monday and anti-Israel messages were spray-painted in their place to commemorate the first anniversary of Hamas terrorists' attack on Israel.
The words “intifada” and “coward” were spray-painted on a property in West Bloomfield, Michigan, according to reports. Associated Press. “Intifada” is an Arabic word that means the uprising of Palestinians against Israel.
West Bloomfield police did not identify the home's owner, but the university confirmed Ono was the owner. This house is separate from his official campus residence.
The home of Eric Lundberg, the university's chief investment officer, was also destroyed on Monday, according to the Detroit News.
Anti-Israel agitators set up camp outside the home of a Jewish Democratic Party representative on the eve of the Oct. 7 anniversary of the Hamas attack.
A West Bloomfield, Michigan, police officer walks past vandals spray-painted on the home of University of Michigan President Santa Ono on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (David Guralnick/Detroit News, via AP)
This comes as Ono and the university's board of trustees have been criticized by pro-Palestinian demonstrators for not attempting to reduce all investments related to Israel.
The university said there were no direct investments and donations from endowments that may include Israeli companies amounted to less than $15 million, or less than 0.1% of the total endowment.
The words “intifada” and “coward” were spray-painted on a property in West Bloomfield, Michigan. (Getty Images)
Mark Bernstein, a member of the university's Board of Trustees, called the vandalism “another violent act of intimidation by an anti-Semitic mob.”
Last spring, masked protesters set up a tent and placed a fake bloody corpse outside the regent's home.
One year after the October 7 massacre, four American hostages remain in Hamas captivity
This house is separate from Ono's official residence on campus. (Getty Images)
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An anti-Israel encampment set up on university grounds was cleared by police in May. Some demonstrators were charged with trespassing into an encampment and resisting police.
This comes one year after Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered retaliatory action by the Israeli military and sparked the ongoing war in the region. The attack resulted in the abduction of more than 250 hostages, including approximately 1,200 Israelis and some Americans. Many of them have been freed, rescued, or killed, but dozens remain in Hamas custody.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
