Santa Cruz, CA – The University of California, Santa Cruz has received two separate reports of incidents of antisemitism and hate.
In a statement, they say one happened on campus and the other to a student in downtown Santa Cruz.
According to Dr. Akirah Bradley-Armstrong, the vice chancellor for student affairs and success, the first reported incident took place on campus on Thursday, April 20.
A group of students reportedly gathered to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday. It was reported they sang happy birthday and ate cakes decorated with hateful symbols.
The second reported incident took place in downtown Santa Cruz on Friday, April 21. A student found an antisemitic and anti-LGBTQIA+ flyer on their car’s windshield.
The flyer included degrading claims about Jewish people and LGBTQIA+ people.
In a statement, the vice chancellor for student affairs unequivocally condemned any and all antisemitic and anti-LGBTQIA+ actions and said the on-campus incident has been referred to student conduct for follow-up and adjudication.
He said they also reached out to the city of Santa Cruz to address the flyer reported downtown.
Counseling and psychological services are being offered to students and staff in the wake of these incidents.
