(JEWISH GROUP) UW investigating antisemitic and violent messages displayed on campus [View all]

On the morning of Halloween, two instructors came across a grouping of pumpkins displayed near the student union. They were carved with Nazi words and symbols, including a swastika.

One of the instructors was Adam Blackler, a history professor whose classes focus on modern Germany and the rise of fascism.

“This is an absolute effort by whoever they were to intimidate people on campus, and specifically meant to intimidate those who are already abused as minority communities, as people who are religious minorities, racial minorities,” Blackler said. “It's meant to be intimidating.”

UW has identified the students responsible but is withholding their names, and the name of the student group they belong to, as an internal investigation plays out.

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Paula Medina, the student government president, said she was told UWPD determined there was “no malicious intent” behind the pumpkins. Medina relayed this to students in an email Wednesday, but told Wyoming Public Radio it’s inaccurate.

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