MILWAUKEE — The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Golda Meir Library was vandalized over the weekend.
UWM police said two individuals threw an object through the library’s first-floor window and then defaced the building with graffiti.
The spray-painted message said “Free Palestine.” The library, named after Israel’s fourth Prime Minister, Golda Meir, has been a focal point of protests during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Following the vandalism, a spokesperson for the university said in a statement, “UWM also recognizes that the Middle East conflict has left many students and employees experiencing heightened concerns for their safety and well-being, particularly our Jewish, Muslim and Arab American community members. To be very clear, neither antisemitism nor Islamophobia has any place on our campus or in our community.”
The statement also added the safety of everyone on campus is the university’s highest priority.
University crews cleaned the graffiti off the library Monday.
Kamil Samara heads the Islamic Society of Milwaukee University Center. He said he believes in the graffiti message, but not the method of spreading it.
“I have a sign in my window that says, ‘Free Palestine.’ It is in my window, so that’s fine. I can put anything I like there, it’s a free country. But to go and do that to other people’s property, destroying it or vandalism, I don’t think that’s the right way to deliver your message. Actually, that will have a negative reaction,” said Samara.
Jerome Koss is the UWM painter who removed the graffiti. He said the vandalism is not only wrong but also very dangerous.
“Breaking glass, you don’t know who is going to be affected by that. What if somebody is inside there? Protesting is one thing, this is more direct violence and I don’t think that’s okay,” said Koss.
Samara said vandalism isn’t the answer and he believes the solution comes in steps.
“First of all, we need to stop the war because the first priority is to stop killing the civilians. So, that is why we need to stop the attack on Gaza and then we can start talking about solutions,” he said.