Vandals painted “divest” on pillars and smeared feces on the Massachusetts State House in Boston on Wednesday, leading the New England division of the Anti-Defamation League to state that it is “deeply concerned” by the “escalating activity” of the anti-Zionist group that took responsibility.
The same “extreme” group, Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation, targeted a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., earlier in the month, the ADL said.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, and the state House speaker and state Senate president said they are “deeply disturbed” by the vandalism.
“The State House is a revered building steeped in history, and staff works hard to keep it in pristine condition for employees and visitors alike,” the trio said. “There is absolutely no excuse for vandalism, at the State House or anywhere.”
The state officials did not mention in their statement that the vandalism was antisemitic.
State police reportedly dispatched a bomb squad as well after reports of a suspicious package at the State House.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston said the incident was “deeply alarming,” and the American Jewish Committee’s New England office said that it is “appalled” by the actions of the pro-Palestinian group.
