Georgetown students found a swastika and a threatening message on the wall of a bathroom during the start of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, the school's president says.
The swastika was found inside a women's restroom in a residence hall, school president John J. DeGioia said.
The full text of the president's letter is below.
"Dear Members of the Georgetown University Community,
This evening, we marked the opening of Rosh Hashanah with services in Gaston Hall. During this holiday—a deeply meaningful time of reflection and celebration for members of our Jewish community—we have been confronted with an abhorrent act of anti-Semitism in one of our residence halls.
Earlier tonight, the Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) responded to a report of a swastika found painted inside the stall of a women’s restroom in the LXR residence hall accompanied by threatening and derogatory language advocating for violence against women. This is the third incident in recent weeks involving swastikas in our residence halls and the second in LXR.
There is never a time or place for these acts, and this incident is even more disturbing during Rosh Hashanah. We stand in solidarity with our Jewish community and strongly condemn this act of hate, anti-Semitism, and sexism.
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GUPD is actively investigating these incidents and has increased patrols in the areas surrounding residence halls. GUPD is coordinating with Metropolitan Police Department’s Special Liaison Branch and requests that anyone with information call (202) 687-4343 or email police@georgetown.edu. We strongly encourage students who observe an incident you believe to be motivated by bias or hate to file a report through the online Bias Related Incident Reporting form, by calling GUPD, or using the LiveSafe app.
Those found responsible for these acts of hate will be held fully accountable for their actions.
While we investigate these bias-related incidents, we must also continue our work to prevent them. As we opened the semester, our Office of Residential Living shared a number of initiatives aimed at fostering inclusive communities that will be ongoing throughout the semester, encouraging students to engage with each other through dialogue, as well as our faculty-in-residence and chaplains-in-residence. I urge our community to take advantage of these initiatives, including the platED program, an initiative that brings together students, faculty and staff for important conversations on inclusion and social justice. More information can be found at: https://studentliving.georgetown.edu/plated.
We reject hatred, racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism, sexism, and Islamophobia. Ours is a community where all faiths are welcomed, and where we choose to come together in understanding and service towards one another.
Sincerely,
John J. DeGioia"
This is not the first swastika found on Georgetown's campus recently.
