After sending out an alert to its members about an alleged assault in Chapel Hill, the UNC Muslim Students Association publicly confirmed its contact with the apparent victim and said it plans to work with university leadership to ensure Muslim students’ safety.

An emergency email sent Tuesday to all registered members of the organization said a Muslim student was attacked on Franklin Street around 6 p.m. The email said an individual wearing an Israel flag and carrying a knife assaulted the person, but that “the Muslim student is safe at this time.” Word of the incident was first shared in a social media post on Tuesday night by an account with no identifying name — which has yet to be independent reviewed by Chapelboro.

The MSA’s initial message on Tuesday encouraged everyone in the group to stay away from Franklin Street. It advised its members to not walk alone around campus, suggesting that people find someone else to walk with or utilize a free student-run service that helps safely escort UNC community members. An additional post on the organization’s Instagram story encouraged extra caution for those wearing a hijab.

A screenshot of the Instagram story shared by the UNC Muslim Students Association on Tuesday, October 31.

On Thursday, the local Muslim Students Association made an Instagram post publicly restating that a student maintains they were attacked and saying they were in contact with them. In the post, the MSA said the student is communicating with the Chapel Hill Police — who have jurisdiction on Franklin Street — and the organization plans to work with UNC to “ensure Muslim students are safe on campus while law enforcement works to identify a suspect in the incident.”

 

Chapelboro attempted to contact UNC MSA to confirm whether the social media post that sparked the email was made by one of the organization’s members. The group has not responded to its request for more information as of Friday morning.

A spokesperson for the Chapel Hill Police Department confirmed with Chapelboro that police have spoken to someone who has anonymously identified themselves as the victim in Tuesday’s alleged incident. Investigators are respecting their anonymity while trying to learn more details about what happened. As of Friday morning, no formal assault report had been filed with Chapel Hill Police.

The local department shared an alert with the community Wednesday saying it is aware of a social media post describing the incident and said it is “working to identify and connection with the victim” to investigate.

“The circumstances that were described in the post must not be tolerated in our community,” Chapel Hill Police Chief Celisa Lehew said in Wednesday’s release. “It is important that anyone who has information reach out to us as soon as possible. We recognize the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community and will continue to work carefully to ensure an environment where everyone feels safe and respected.”

UNC Police also issued a statement on Wednesday, saying the campus police department is working with the town to learn more information based on the social media post.

“The safety of our community is our number one priority,” said UNC in its message to the campus community. “If anyone in our community is attacked or harassed, we urge them to call 911.”

Police encouraged anyone who may have information about the described incident to call 911 or contact the Chapel Hill Police Department at 919-968-2760. Additionally, those who wish to remain anonymous can call the Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC CrimeStoppers hotline (919-942-7515) or visit the CrimeStoppers website.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Wednesday, November 1. It has since been updated with the latest social media posts from the UNC MSA and details from the Chapel Hill Police Department.

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