DELAWARE, USA — A college student from York County has been arrested for allegedly defacing a Holocaust memorial.
Police say Jenna Kandeel, 23, damaged several flags at the memorial on the University of Delaware's campus and made vulgar statements about the Jewish community and Holocaust on the evening of May 8.
Delware's Department of Justice says witnesses reported the incident, and Kandeel later admitted the vandalism to police.
“We have a proud history of protecting free speech in this country, including and especially political dissent,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “But we need to be lucid enough to recognize the daylight — miles of it, in this case — between protest and hate. The Holocaust is not ancient history. 80 years later, the world’s Jewish population still has not recovered; its survivors are still with us; and I fear that we still have not learned its lessons. Seeing this ignorance on display, particularly in an increasingly antisemitic climate, should be a wake-up call. We still have work to do.”
Officers say Kandeel went on an "antisemitic tirade" while vandalizing the memorial, which was sponsored by a Jewish student group.
She is banned from campus and charged with three misdemeanors: hate crime, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.
A statement from the University reads in part:
Such abhorrent incidents have no place on our campus. Any acts of discrimination, racism, violence or destructive behavior that are directed at any group and threaten the wellbeing of our community will be addressed immediately. As Blue Hens, we must support one another and draw strength from our shared culture of respect, civil discourse and sense of belonging.
