URBANA, Ill. (WAND) – Someone painted a swastika in an underground tunnel on the University of Illinois campus.
The News-Gazette reports a U of I worker noticed it and reported it to police. Officers say it was in a tunnel located east of the Quad and between the Noyes and Roger Adams laboratories, which people use to pass between those buildings and the Chemistry Annex on campus.
Police told the newspaper they’re investigating the swastika as a “criminal-damage incident”, adding that they recognize a symbol like it can “create an environment where our campus community members feel targeted or unsafe”. Investigators say it’s unclear whether the swastika is related to white nationalist group “Identity Evropa”, whose Illinois Chapter visited the U of I campus earlier this week.
The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the group as a hate group that goes to college campuses for recruiting purposes.
Police say people who feel unsafe should contact them in order for concerns to be addressed.
