Hillel students injured

RON FRIEDMAN

Jewish community agencies are strongly condemning two attacks against Jewish students on the University of British Columbia campus this weekend. The altercations, which occurred about an hour apart on Saturday, Jan. 31, injured two Jewish students.

"Our first concern is for the safety and well-being of our students," said Eyal Lichtmann, executive director of Vancouver Hillel. "The victims received medical attention and continue to receive counselling as a result of this very traumatic situation. We are providing them with full support during this difficult time."

According to Hillel communications director Pat Johnson, a small group of Hillel students, who were participating in a video scavenger-hunt on campus, came across anti-Israel posters on the door of one of the dorm rooms of the Vanier Residence. One of the students tore up a poster that featured the symbol of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a recognized terrorist group. A man is said to have then emerged from the room and to have chased the students down the hall. Managing to isolate one of the students, the man allegedly proceeded to beat him up and tear off his Magen David necklace. "Our student had a video camera in his hand. So, in one sense, he was one-handed. In another interesting development, much of the attack was audiotaped, not videotaped because the camera was facing the ground," said Johnson. The event came to a conclusion when residence advisors were called and broke up the altercation.

Later that evening, another incident took place in the same building. According to Johnson, a second group of Hillel students came to the building unaware of the previous attack. When they were recognized as belonging to Hillel, the same man, this time accompanied by four or five others, chased them down the stairs and again caught a single student. Johnson said that this incident was pacified by the attacker's friends, who suggested alternative ways of dealing with the situation, but not before the man grabbed the Magen David off the second student's neck.

"We will not be intimidated by violence," Lichtmann said. "Our students are proceeding with Israel Awareness Week as scheduled [Feb. 2-6] and all of our students need to know that they are safe, protected and supported."

Romy Ritter, regional director of Canadian Jewish Congress, Pacific Region, stated, "Violence is never acceptable in Canadian discourse and runs counter to Canadian values. Given the nature of the attacks and the possibility that they were motivated by anti-Semitism, we have full confidence in the RCMP to carry out a full and thorough investigation," said Ritter.

University spokesperson Scott Macrae said he couldn't comment on the events as they were still under investigation.

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