A red swastika was projected on the outside of a dorm at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Sunday evening.
Four people wearing red and black attire were captured chanting, “We are everywhere. There will be blood, blood, blood,” in a video posted to Facebook. The words “Blood Tribe” were also projected on the outside of the dormitory building.
The “Blood Tribe” is a “growing neo-Nazi group,” which presents itself as being a “white supremacist group” that doesn’t allow females, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King issued a statement labeling the words as “racist” and said the group of four had appeared to be lighting “road flares.” The incident reportedly occurred on the first day of the spring semester at around 5:40 p.m. outside of Knilans dormitory.
“The actions of the group last night are abhorrent and go against our core values,” King said in his statement. “At UW-Whitewater, we strive to create a safe community where everyone feels a sense of belonging. We take pride in our Warhawk family. We reject hate in all its forms”
When police responded to the incident on campus, the group had reportedly already fled the scene, King added, noting that “no further sightings were reported.”
“We have no reason to believe there is any current threat to safety on campus,” King said. “The actions of the individuals are consistent with a group that has been visiting other campuses, and has no affiliation with UW-Whitewater whatsoever.”
Many parents and students expressed concern over the incident, labeling it as being “disturbing” and “concerning.”
“It’s very disturbing,” Toni Pharm, a Milwaukee resident and parent of a UW-Whitewater student, told CBS58. “I think it is a deplorable act of terrorism, in my opinion.”
Pharm added she had attempted to contact campus police, but was unable to reach anyone regarding the incident.
“It’s really concerning that it’s the first day back, and that’s already happened,” Brooklyn Stevenson, a junior at the university told the outlet. “I came here because they were one of the schools that was really high in diversity and inclusion and had a lot of different clubs and programs. So, it’s just really surprising and concerning to see that.”
Another student, sophomore Derek Dussault, explained that while he holds “free speech very near and dear,” he feels this type of thing should be held in “private” rather than in “public on a campus.”
In the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, anti-semitic incidents have risen in the United States. The ADL reported 2,031 anti-semitic incidents between Oct. 7 and Dec. 7, a 337% increase from the 465 anti-semitic incidents seen during this time in 2022.
Roughly 73% of Jewish college students revealed they had witnessed anti-semitic incidents since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, according to a report from the ADL and Hillel International. Prior to Hamas’ attack on Israel, 63.7% of Jewish college students expressed feeling “very” or “extremely” comfortable on campus.
