Swastika and ‘TRUMP’ Graffiti Scrawled on Statue at Houston’s Rice University
(JTA) — A swastika was drawn in bright-colored chalk on the base of the founders statue at Rice University in Houston.
The word “TRUMP” accompanied the swastika on the 2,000-pound William Marsh Rice statue, located in the heart of the academic quad of the campus, the Houston Chronicle reported. The vandalism reportedly occurred on Friday night, according to the university.
Rice was not Jewish although the prestigious university does have a large Jewish student population.
It is the third act of racist vandalism on the campus this month.
“I have had it with this behavior,” undergraduate dean John Hutchinson said in a statement released by the university that was also posted on Facebook. “The use of the swastika clearly reveals that whoever did this is either ignorant of the history of true evil associated with this emblem of hate or is genuinely motivated by blind hatred.”
A professional art conservator will remove the graffiti, the university said.
If a student is discovered to have drawn the graffiti, he or she faces expulsion from the university, Hutchinson reportedly said.
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