Antisemitic Kanye 'Ye' West remarks found written around University of Florida campus

Members of the University of Florida community are speaking out following the discovery of antisemitic messages written in chalk on campus.

The messages were written in support of rapper Ye, also known as Kanye West, who has been embroiled in controversy since October for repeated antisemitic remarks on television and social media, which include him saying that he "loves" Adolf Hitler and denying the Holocaust happened. His attack on the Jewish community resulted in Adidas − maker of his popular Yeezy shoe brand − ending the pair's seven-year relationship.

Writings found around the UF campus include "Ye 24," "Ye for president," "Students for Ye," and "Ye is right 2/2/23." It is unclear as to what the date is referencing.

President Kent Fuchs condemned the messages in a tweet early Wednesday afternoon and said to expect an increased police presence on campus over the coming days.

"We are deeply troubled by a series of antisemitic chalk messages that were found in recent days around our Gainesville campus in what seems to be a coordinated act. UF strongly and unequivocally condemns these and all acts of antisemitism, hatred and intolerance," Fuchs wrote.

UF's Jewish center, UF Hillel took to Instagram to share its thought on the message.

"We stand united in rejecting this speech that does not represent the values of the Gator Nation," the group wrote. "UF Hillel is deeply troubled the antisemitic chalkings on campus today. Ensuring Jewish students are free from antisemitism, discrimination and marginalization is at the core of Hillel's work."

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The messaging also comes on the heels of Jewish author Mark Oppenheimer's visit to campus Tuesday, where he spoke about combating antisemitism and the increase of attacks on the Jewish community.

In Gainesville, city leaders have said there has been an uptick in threats made against Jewish people.

In September, a barrage of antisemitic flyers were thrown on lawns across town, saying that Jews were responsible for the porn industry, Disney child grooming and the leadership in the Biden administration, among others.

The next month, UF received a "C" grade from Stop Antisemitism, an organization that monitors hate crimes against the Jewish community, after school officials failed to complete a survey about antisemitism on campus "even though they promised they would."

UF currently has one of the highest Jewish student populations among all public institutions in the nation, according to Hillel International, an organization that enriches the lives of Jewish students around the globe. Data shows that UF has 6,500 undergrads and 2,900 graduate students who are Jewish.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Antisemitic remarks found on University of Florida campus