Hackers Blamed After Anti-Semitic Fliers Printed At Universities, Including DePaul

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS/AP) -- Several colleges across the country, including Chicago's DePaul University, are investigating after a rash of anti-Semitic fliers began printing from their network-connected printers or fax machines.

The fliers began to appear Thursday at institutions that also included Princeton University; Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island; the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

The DePaulia student newspaper reported DePaul's administration reached out to faculty via email, and said, "We are currently investigating the breach as well as the source and origin of this despicable act, which certainly is not reflective of DePaul's values nor of our campus culture where ALL are welcome."

The director of the New England office of the Anti-Defamation League, Robert Trestan, said a white power group appears to have hacked into school printers. He said that's a new tactic for a hate group.

The fliers are addressed to "white men" and disparage Jewish people. They include links to a neo-Nazi website.

Trestan said the founder of the website previously urged supporters to troll perceived enemies, including a Jewish member of the British Parliament, Luciana Berger, on Twitter.

He said other affected schools include Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts; the University of California, Santa Cruz; Northeastern University, in Boston; the University of Rhode Island; the University of Connecticut; and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The chancellor of UMass Amherst, Kumble Subbaswamy, called the fliers "cowardly" in an email to students and faculty members.

"This despicable incident reminds us that we must not be complacent as we continue to strive for a society that embraces diversity, inclusion and equity -- a society where everyone feels safe and welcome," he wrote.

(Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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