A banner advertising an event for the University of Iowa’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter was vandalized on Monday, mere hours after it was put up, the organization said.
Vandals allegedly scribbled “ignorant” on the photo of Ian Haworth who is visiting Iowa City on Oct. 7. The banner was hung on a black fence surrounding Hubbard Park near the Iowa Memorial Union Monday morning, which YAF representatives say was vandalized within two-and-a-half hours.
Haworth is a British-born conservative that YAF’s website describes as a ” conservative writer, speaker and podcast host .”
The Young Americans for Freedom released a statement Monday, saying the alleged vandalism “openly call(s) for violence against Jewish students.”
“It is appalling that at a Big Ten University, where tours are happening regularly and the administration promotes ‘inclusion,’ ‘safe spaces,’ and ‘welcoming,’ members of the Hawkeye community still openly call for violence against Jewish students,” the University of Iowa YAF organization said. “Terrorist sympathizers should not be celebrated—they should be held accountable for the hateful, criminal rhetoric they spread.”