On the afternoon of the 1st of June, graffiti appeared to be Stars of David were spray-painted onto the Oxford Crown Court, and a banner of the Pitt Rivers Encampment. A third star was found the next morning on a wall of the Saïd Business School.
Spray-painted Stars of David are often associated with Nazi-era graffiti of Jewish-owned properties, as well as the practice of forcing Jewish people to identify themselves by wearing a yellow Star of David on their clothes.
It is not clear what the intention behind the graffiti is. However, members of the encampment reported that the graffitied banner was the work of an individual who had been consistently harassing the camp over the past week.
Speaking to The Oxford Student, Kendall Gardner described the first incident as “horrible”, stating that “a man ripped off one of our banners and a Jewish member of our community chased after him”.
She explained that the camp member followed the man into Jericho Coffee Traders, where he “hurled the Jewish community member to the floor.” The next day, the man returned with another individual and “sprayed the banners with blue paint and also sprayed a member of the public’s face”.
The Oxford Student currently cannot identify any links between the graffiti on the Court, the encampment or the Business School despite the fact they were all found within 24 hours of each other.
Similar graffiti was found in Berlin in late 2023, where Stars of David were painted onto the houses of Jewish people. The incident was reported as a part of the rise in antisemitism following Hamas’ October 7th attacks.
In late October, 250 blue Stars of David were sprayed around a Paris suburb, in suspicion of a Russian propaganda operation. BBC reported that the operation, whether originated from support or opposition to Israel, “seems to have been to sow confusion and anxiety…[as]both sides would be suspicious”
As of Monday 3rd June, the graffiti has not been removed from The Crown Court, and the OA4P banner has been left in place, further graffiti was seen on OA4P flags outside the Radcliffe Camera in what looks to be the same colour paint.
“We have raised it with the Council, which aims to remove reported vandalism within 24 hours. The police are also investigating it,” the Crown Court told The Oxford Student.
The Saïd Business School, the OA4P Encampment, and the University did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
Image Credit: Cameron Samuel Keys
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