George Washington University finds another swastika on campus. Photo: George Washington

George Washington University President Steven Knapp revealed on Monday that a swastika was found recently at the George Washington University International House. This is reportedly the second incident in recent weeks involving the discovery of swastikas at the university.

According to Knapp, a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity placed the swastika on the fraternity’s bulletin board at the International House. The student claimed that he acquired the swastika while on Spring Break in India, and that it was not an expression of hatred.

The university said that it has referred the matter to the Metropolitan Police Department’s hate crimes unit.

Knapp issued a strong statement in response to the discovery.

“Since its adoption nearly a century ago as the symbol of the Nazi Party, the swastika has acquired an intrinsically anti-Semitic meaning, and therefore the act of posting it in a university residence hall is utterly unacceptable,” wrote President Knapp in message posted on the university website on Monday. “Our entire community should be aware of the swastika’s association with genocide perpetrated against the Jewish people and should be concerned about the extremely harmful effects that displaying this symbol has on individuals and on the climate of our entire university community.”

According to the campus newspaper, this is the second time in three weeks that a swastika was found at the University. Last February, three swastikas were reportedly drawn on the walls of the International House.  That incident is also being investigated as a hate crime, according to the GW Hatchet.