CNN
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Masked attackers targeted two Jewish students at DePaul University in Chicago who were “visibly demonstrating their support for Israel,” according to a statement from the university’s president.
The Chicago Police Department said the students, two men in their 20s, were assaulted by unknown assailants who struck one victim in the face and body and pushed the other to the ground before running away, adding that both refused emergency medical assistance.
The ministry said on Thursday that police were investigating the attack as a hate crime. “The assailant treated the victim verbally and made anti-Semitic statements before hitting the victim repeatedly,” police said.
University President Robert L. Manuel, in a statement: “We are outraged that this happened on our campus.” “It is completely unacceptable and a violation of DePaul’s values of supporting and nurturing the dignity of every individual.”
Authorities also released several photos of two men, described as persons of interest in their 20s, and are seeking the public's help in identifying them. Police did not clarify whether the attackers were wearing masks.
Manuel said the university is actively working with the Chicago Police Department to investigate the incident.
The incident, which was initially classified as simple battery, occurred on the University of Lincoln Park campus.
It was not immediately clear how the victims showed support for Israel.
The campus experienced tensions earlier this year when authorities dismantled a student-led camp in May, after more than two weeks of demonstrations demanding the university divest from companies with ties to Israel. The camp was one of the last remaining in the Chicago area at a time when campuses across the United States were seeing such protests, according to CNN affiliate WLS.
Wednesday's incident comes as tensions rise in the Middle East, where Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza has led to a dire humanitarian crisis while sparking global calls from supporters of Israel and the Palestinians, many of whom support a ceasefire.
It follows an alleged hate crime incident in nearby West Rogers Park, where the suspect has been charged in last month's attack on a Jewish man on his way to a synagogue.
Preliminary data provided to CNN by the Anti-Defamation League showed that threats against Jews in the United States tripled in the year following Hamas' deadly terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. The Council on American-Islamic Relations received 8,061 reports of anti-Muslim bias in 2023, the highest number in the 28 years the group has tracked hate, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in April.
“We will do everything in our power to hold those responsible for this terrible incident accountable,” DePaul’s president said Wednesday.
CNN has reached out to the state attorney general's office for comment.
This story has been updated with additional information.
