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In the wake of statue vandalism, swastika stickers found around Harvard

The incident remains under investigation by Cambridge and Harvard police.

A pedestrian walks through Harvard University’s campus in Cambridge, Mass. Adam Glanzman / The New York Times

October 15, 2024

1 minute to read

Police are on the lookout for a suspect who left swastika stickers in and around the Harvard campus in the early morning hours on Monday.

At around 2:10 a.m., the Harvard University Police Department says it received a report of an unknown person placing stickers at various locations, including on campus and city-owned light poles near the river.

Harvard police searched the area for the person but could not locate them.

Cambridge police also responded to Harvard Square Monday morning for reports of “religiously threatening stickers” posted in multiple locations.

Cambridge police are seeking any surveillance video related to the incident. They ask anyone with information to contact the Criminal Investigations Unit through the anonymous tipline at 617-349-9151 or online.

Harvard police and Cambridge police are investigating the incident collaboratively.

“We are aware that law enforcement is investigating apparent antisemitic vandalism at Harvard – multiple stickers depicting a swastika replacing the Star of David on the Israeli Flag,” wrote the Anti-Defamation League of New England in a statement on X. “We urge a thorough investigation and for those responsible to be held accountable.”

The incident occurred less than a week after a group of unidentified people vandalized the John Harvard statue with fake blood as part of a “Palestinian resistance.”

A video depicting the scene was posted anonymously by “Unity of Fields,” a far-left organization that engages in or promotes protests and defacement of private property they deem to be supportive of Israel or “Zionism.” Instagram has since taken down the account.

Harvard police are still investigating that incident.

The act of vandalism happened only hours after Jewish groups across Boston marked the Oct. 7 anniversary of the attacks on Israel by Hamas.

“It doesn’t feel real. This isn’t the America I grew up in,” Rabbi Jason Rubenstein, executive director of Harvard Hillel, told Boston 25 News. “There’s an element of shock and confusion, and then there’s a sense of, where does this go now?”