MIT Police is investigating several incidents of hateful messages and images on campus over the last week, many of them celebrating violence.
The university’s president says in two cases, they found hand-drawn swastikas as well as a sign wishing violence on a conservative non-profit.
“This is not just a Jewish problem, this is, you know, many people who feel like they feel a little unsafe on campus if they speak their views,” said Archie Gottesman, co-founder of JewBelong.
JewBelong is a non-profit that’s bringing awareness to the increase of antisemitism, especially on college campuses.
The group put up billboards in Cambridge recently, calling on universities like Harvard and MIT to take these recent antisemitic incidents seriously.
“There’s gonna be swastikas again, this is what is happening on the campuses right now, so to be like really proactive about it, to speak about it, to have professors speak about it,” said Gottesman.
Gottesman says university leaders should do more than send a letter out to students.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth says there’s no reason to believe these recent messages of violence are connected.
“In the context of this week’s horrifying murder of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, these manifestations of hatred towards others for their views, beliefs or identity are even more concerning,” said Kornbluth. “Such corrosive incidents have become commonplace in our society, and they can invite violence. Together, we must make sure they have no place at MIT.”
Kornbluth also says if they can find the people responsible for spreading these hateful messages, they will be disciplined.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW