Autistic Jewish student had swastika carved onto his back at Las Vegas high school

A 17-year-old autistic Jewish student had a swastika carved onto his back while at school. 

The boy, who is nonverbal, returned from Clark High School in Las Vegas on March 9 with the swastika carved on him, causing his mother to file a report with the local police.

“My son is the only student I know of who wears a Kippah at the school,” the mother was quoted as saying by the Jewish website, COLlive.com, adding that she had pulled her son out of the school “because it’s an unsafe environment.”

The FBI said in a statement that it was “aware of the incident” and that the agency is in “regular contact with local authorities.”

“If during the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal civil rights violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate,” FBI said.

The regional director of ADL Nevada, Jolie Brislin, condemned the incident, saying: “Not only was this student targeted for his identifiable faith, but he was particularly vulnerable due to his disability. This incident illustrates points of intersectionality in how hate can show itself across marginalised communities.”

Brislin also said she had been in contact with local law enforcement to provide antisemitism education.

“Schools should be no place for hate, and no student should be made to feel unsafe or threatened,” Brislin said.

Karen Bar-Or, senior national director of activism for the Israeli-American Council, told Las Vegas Review-Journal that it receives four reports on antisemitism per week nationwide, calling it “very disturbing.”