By Joe Brandt

Temple is investigating an attack on a student who was punched in the face yesterday and allegedly called anti-Semitic and religious slurs.

The student, managing and information systems major Daniel Vessal, told Truthrevolt.org that at the student activities fair Temple Fest, he spoke with members of Students for Justice in Palestine about the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

After the students discussed possible ends to the conflict, Vessal said some students called him a “baby killer” and not long after that “this kid just rocks me in the face as hard as he can,” Vessal told the site.

“My glasses flew off. After a two-second blur I had no clue what had happened. I couldn’t believe the kid actually hit me,” Vessal said.

Two of Vessal’s friends told Truthrevolt that while Vessal was on the ground, a student called him “kike,” a slur for people of Jewish heritage.

SJP released a statement on the incident yesterday, which contended that Vessal was slapped, not punched, after allegedly calling the group’s members “terrorists” and saying “I can’t believe this group exists.”

SJP also said the assailant was not a member of SJP but a friend of some of the members.

Additionally, the group said the incident was “unnecessary and deplorable, and does not represent the principles of our organization.” The group says no slurs were used in the incident.

Around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Vice President for Student Affairs Theresa A. Powell emailed a statement to students, faculty and staff.

“In the coming days, we will work with students and local leaders—particularly those in our religious communities—to ensure that everyone understands and conforms to the principles of freedom valued in our nation and guaranteed by our Student Conduct Code,” Powell wrote. 

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@temple.edu or on Twitter @JBrandt_TU.