UT reports antisemitic vandalism on or near campus

AUSTIN, Texas — Antisemitism has reared its ugly head at the University of Texas at Austin. It comes as reports of antisemitic incidents in Texas have more than doubled over the last two years. UT stated it got reports of antisemitic vandalism on or near the school campus Thursday.

The Anti-Defamation League said antisemitic instances in Texas have gone up to 89% from 2021 to 2022. That’s 112 incidents to 212. ADL recorded the highest number of antisemitic incidents in its 2022 nationwide audit.

“Texas reported 212 antisemitic incidents in 2022, the fifth-highest number behind New York, California, New Jersey and Florida. Instances of vandalism increased by 418% (88 incidents in 2022, compared to 17 in 2021), while harassment increased by 28% (122 incidents in 2022, compared to 95 in 2021),” detailed ADL. “Two antisemitic assaults occurred in Texas in 2022, up from zero in 2021.”

ADL has followed 365 incidents of antisemitism in the state since 2021. The most recent ADL report found there to be a trend of hate and extremism in Texas. In the report, ADL looks back on the last three years in Texas to identify patterns in antisemitic incidents and the trigger that’s escalating extremist activity.