USC president denounces swastika graffiti on campus

By Matthew Rodriguez

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    SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (KCAL) — The president of the University of Southern California denounced the actions of vandals who drew a Swastika at the school’s campus.

“I’ve been made aware of a swastika drawn on our campus,” President Carol Folt wrote. “I condemn any antisemitic symbols or any form of hate speech against anyone.”

Folt said staff has already removed the symbol which was drawn on a fence post.

“Clearly it was drawn there just to incite even more anger at a time that is so painful for our community,” Folt wrote.

Folt said the university will launch an investigation into the graffiti.

Over the weekend, pro-Palestinian protesters returned to the school after a clash with the Los Angeles Police Department that resulted in 93 arrests.

The largely peaceful protest follows a trend at college campuses across the US where students and faculty called on their universities to divest from Israeli groups amid its war with Hamas.

The university announced Thursday that it will cancel its main graduation ceremony, planned for May 10, 2024, due to “new safety measures.”

The announcement comes amid the controversy surrounding the valedictorian address and pro-Palestinian demonstrators on campus. USC drew criticism after refusing to allow the valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, who has publicly supported Palestinians, to make a commencement speech. Administrators then scrapped the keynote speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu.

Over 50 student organizations signed a letter written in support of Tabassum, who last week accused USC of caving to hatred.

“I’m just as committed to the lives of Jews as I am to Muslims or to Christians, or to any other sort of identity,” she said.

A Change.org petition demanding Tabassum be allowed to speak at commencement has gathered nearly 4,000 signatures.

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