(JEWISH GROUP) Skidmore dean: Posters for Israeli speaker defaced with antisemitic images [View all]

Posters promoting a Skidmore College talk by an American-Israeli journalist and former Israeli military spokesman Gil Hoffman were vandalized on campus with antisemitic tropes, including horns and other animal depictions, the college's dean of students said.

In a notification to students on Monday, Dean of Students Adrian Bautista said the incident is being reviewed and reminded students that "harmful messages" are not welcome on campus.

"Our educational mission requires that we uphold the principles of free expression and encourage pluralism and dialogue across difference," Bautista wrote. "The college supports faculty/staff- and student-led speaker invitations across a wide range of programs and viewpoints, but we do not tolerate harassment."

A spokesperson for Skidmore said consequences for vandalism will be determined "based on the findings" of an investigation and that the incident is being reviewed under the "student code of conduct and non-discrimination policies."

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