The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today condemned two recent racist incidents that reportedly occurred on the University of California, Santa Barbra (UCSB) campus earlier this week.
SEE: UC Santa Barbara Police Investigating Two Racially Motivated Hate Crimes
On Monday, April 28, UCSB police received a report of an unidentified man with blonde hair and a beard approaching an individual on the university’s campus and yelling, “Get out of my country,” and “Do you have a green card?” before spitting on the victim.
A few hours after the first incident, UCSB police received a separate but similar report of what is believed to be the same man approaching another individual outside the Isla Vista theater, yelling, “Get the f–-out of this country, b–-.”
The UCSB said it is currently investigating both incidents as hate crimes motivated by bias against the victims’ perceived ethnicity.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said:
“Hate and anti-immigrant bigotry have no place in our communities. Targeting individuals based on their perceived ethnicity is an attack on human dignity and the values of diversity and respect. We commend the UCSB police department for its prompt response in investigating these incidents as hate crimes.”
To report any bias incidents, contact CAIR-LA’s Civil Rights Department at (714) 776-1177 or click here to file a report.
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Digital Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Senior Communications Coordinator Madi Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com