Student Beaten by Six Men at University of Michigan After Identifying Himself as a Jew
The Ann Arbor police department says they are doing all they can to protect against incidents of antisemitism.
A Jewish student at the University of Michigan was beaten early Sunday morning simply for identifying himself as a Jew, according to the Ann Arbor, Michigan police department. Law enforcement is still seeking information about the six suspects.
The University of Michigan — right in the heart of a critical 2024 swing state — was rocked by anti-Israel encampments during the spring semester in response to the Israel–Hamas war. The antisemitic event could be a sign of what’s to come as tensions rise with students coming back to campus and the presidential election less than two months away.
“The Ann Arbor Police Department is actively investigating a bias-motivated assault that occurred on 9/15/24 at approximately 12:45am,” the department wrote in a press release. “The 19-year- old male victim reported he was walking when a group of unknown males behind him asked if he was Jewish. When the victim replied yes, the group of males proceeded to assault him.”
Law enforcement said the six attackers “then fled the area on foot.” The victim escaped with minor injuries.
“We take bias-motivated crimes very seriously and have assigned this incident to our hate crimes detective. Right now, it is very early in the investigation and have limited information on the suspects. We will provide additional information when it becomes available,” the Ann Arbor police department wrote.
The chief of the Ann Arbor police, Andrew Anderson, says he is working “aggressively” with prosecutors to find and charge the unknown attackers.
“I have communicated with the University of Michigan police staff, and our goal is to discuss safety over the next few weeks. There is absolutely no place for hate or ethnic intimidation in the City of Ann Arbor,” Mr. Anderson wrote.
“Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes. We are committed to vigorously investigating this and other hate-motivated incidents and will work with the County Prosecutor’s office to aggressively prosecute those who are responsible,” he added.
