According to the University of Rochester, four students were arrested, and a fifth was under investigation stemming from antisemitic “wanted” posters at a University of Rochester (UR) campus post-Donald Trump‘s 2024 presidential election victory.
In its statement, the school said four students now face felony charges rather than school disciplinary action under a New York state statute requiring the school to report to law enforcement “any action or situation which recklessly or intentionally endangers” the “mental or physical health” of anyone at the university.
Upon review, however, the school said the antisemitic “wanted” posters did not meet the federal definition of a hate crime, but that could change based on new information, the school added.
Local news outlet Rochester First says hundreds of antisemitic posters appeared in classrooms and other common areas at UR’s River Campus, near downtown. The adhesive used was so strong, campus officials said, removing them damaged walls and other surfaces.
The posters targeted Jewish faculty members
The four students arrested, Samantha Escobar, Jonathan Bermudez, Naomi Gutierrez, and Jefferson Turcios, pleaded not guilty to criminal mischief charges and were released Wednesday under their own recognizance. Many reports call them UR students, while others said at least some of the four arrested and the fifth person under investigation’s enrollment status at the school was uncertain.
The same day the posters were noticed, there was also “purposeful damage” at UR Medicine’s Brighton Health Center. While the two incidents seemed similar, local authorities said there was evidence to link the posters and the vandalism, but they added that the investigation was ongoing.
Referring to the four arrests, University of Rochester Police Chief Quchee Collins said in a statement, “I am incredibly satisfied that through a thorough investigation we were able to identify those who are allegedly responsible and hold them accountable for the deliberate and deplorable actions targeted toward members of our University community, including members of our Jewish population.”
Racist text messages and neo-Nazi demonstrations
The UR antisemitic posters are just one example of a concerning uptick in racist and antisemitic incidents since Trump’s victory. After Trump won, Black Americans all over the U.S. reported racist text messages telling them to “report” to the nearest “plantation.”
Earlier in November, a group of neo-Nazis demonstrated outside a The Diary of Anne Frank play while shouting racist and antisemitic slurs in Howell, MI, ABC News reported. Last summer, far-right demonstrators marched through Howell shouting, “We love Hitler” and “We love Trump.”
Meanwhile, just last weekend, another neo-Nazi group carried Nazi flags while shouting racist and antisemitic slurs through downtown Columbus, OH, according to The New York Times.
Trump has long been criticized for encouraging far-right ideology in his views and rhetoric, although Trump’s representatives have denied he has any connection to neo-Nazi organizations.
Referring to the Columbus incident, city councilor Shannon Hardin wrote on social media, “This community rejects their pathetic efforts to promote fear and hate … I am sorry that the president-elect has emboldened these creeps.” As for the UR posters investigation, in a statement, University of Rochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf said, “This goes against everything we stand for, and we have an obligation to reject it.”
