Flag at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Photo: Corey Seeman.

The University of Michigan Police Department is searching for a man who allegedly accosted a University of Michigan student and made antisemitic statements.

On the afternoon of November 12, the unidentified male snatched the student, who is a young woman, by the arm while crossing paths with her on campus, according to a security alert issued by university police.

According to the university, he is a brown-haired, 5’10’ white male who wore a university baseball cap, red and black shirt, blue jeans, and gray shoes during the incident.

Antizionist and antisemitic incidents have occurred numerous times at the University of Michigan over the past year. In October, students there erected an “apartheid wall” on campus and led an anti-Israel protest in front of it, and in September, antisemitic fliers were dropped around the campus just days before Rosh Hashanah.

“Antisemitism, ethnic intimidation or hateful speech of any kind have no place at the University of Michigan,” a university spokesperson told the Jewish Journal on Friday. “These types of attacks are in direct conflict with our deeply held values as a university.”

Antisemitic incidents in the US are up 61 percent, according to data by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in April. Averaging three per day, 2,717 were recorded in 2021, the largest total since the ADL began tracking them in 1979.