Masked assailants wounded two Jewish students in a targeted attack on Chicago’s DePaul University campus Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

“I am appalled to share that two Jewish students at DePaul University who were clearly in support of Israel were targeted in an attack,” DePaul University President Robert L. Manuel said in a statement. I wrote To the university community. “The masked assailants beat the students, who sustained injuries but refused medical treatment.”

The “totally unacceptable” public safety incident occurred just outside the student center on the Lincoln Park campus around 3:20 p.m., Manuel added. The university community was “outraged” because it goes “against DePaul’s values ​​of protecting and caring for the dignity of every individual,” the president said.

The private Catholic university is involving the Chicago Police Department (CPD) in the matter “to determine whether it should be classified as a hate crime targeting students because of their Jewish identity,” he said. said. “We will do everything in our power to hold those responsible for this outrageous incident accountable.”

DePaul does not tolerate hatred or violence against students, Manuel continued. president pointed The university community returns to “shared expectations.” (Related: ‘Severe disruption’: Temple University suspends anti-Israel group for disrupting event)

Tensions on the Lincoln Park campus quad erupted earlier this year after CPD on May 16 removed a more than two-week-old encampment set up by protesters calling for the university’s divestment from Israel. Heightened, ABC 7 Chicago reported. Manuel I wrote The letter at the time said there were “physical altercations,” threats from people not affiliated with the university, the university’s inability to continue its activities, and threats against the protesters themselves.

Manuel and the rest of the university management team released The university’s guidance on the Israel-Hamas war comes less than three weeks after the terrorist group’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. They also condemned the murder of six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoum. He was fatally stabbed in Plainfield, a town 37 miles southwest of Chicago. According to Will County Sheriff’s Office.

The Lincoln Park area had 15 overall hate crimes recorded in 2024, up from 10 in 2023 and seven in 2022. According to the data From CPD.

The number of recorded hate crimes in Chicago has increased since 2017, with a slight decrease in 2020, according to CPD data. (Related: School board chair handpicked by Democratic mayor resigns after just one week over anti-Semitic social media posts)

Nearly half (49.4%) of hate crimes recorded in the city since 2012 were motivated by racial/ethnic/ancestry-related bias, according to the data. In 2024, there were 85 similar crimes reported in the city. In 2023, 170 similar crimes were reported, up from 115 in 2022 and 46 in 2021.