Amid a troubling spike in anti-Israel sentiment across the U.S. and around the world, symbols of hate have been spotted in various locations.

One such example involved a swastika drawn on the wall of an elementary school in Washington. But it was the principal’s response to the incident that sparked even more community outraged.

After an initial announcement rightfully denounced the Nazi-aligned symbol, another statement offered a defense of the swastika, as TheBlaze reported:

Hours later, parents shared with KOMO an email from the principal with the subject line: “Follow-up on recent incident and cultural awareness.” The station said the principal in the email apologized for not acknowledging in her initial text alert that while a swastika is often associated with hate and intolerance, it’s important to acknowledge the swastika also has deep historical and cultural significance in other parts of the world. She also thanked members of the community for bringing it to her attention, the station added.

KOMO noted that the principal wrote, in part:

In Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and other ancient cultures, the swastika is a symbol of peace, prosperity, and good fortune. We recognize that for many of our families, this symbol has a positive and spiritual meaning, completely unrelated to the hateful associations it took on in more recent history.

As a school committed to inclusivity and cultural understanding, we want to ensure that our students from all backgrounds feel welcomed, valued, and celebrated. We also want to make sure our community is educated about the diverse meanings and histories behind symbols like the swastika so that we can all avoid misunderstandings that could inadvertently marginalize or hurt our students.The station said several parents called the second message “unacceptable,” that they told her so in an email, and that some planned to meet with her Monday after school. But KOMO said it learned before the end of the school day that the Bellevue School District put the principal on administrative leave and launched an investigation.

The incident sparked significant social media discussion:

“I don't know how we can trust an educator who can't recognize a call for violence from a call for peace to be educating our children." https://t.co/nxn2I4UZEK

— (((Howard Forman))) (@thehowie) October 3, 2024

Principal calls it a Nazi swastika.

Administrators suspend principal: in “other ancient cultures, the swastika is a symbol of peace, prosperity, and good fortune.”

Yet another example of how woke-ness gaslights us and perverts our bedrock judeo-christian morality.… pic.twitter.com/OsvlRxRlE4

— Eli Steele (@Hebro_Steele) October 2, 2024

Seattle-area elementary principal sparks outrage after claiming not all swastikas are bad in letter urging “inclusivity."

Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/s1NSDkTt3j

— AF Post (@AFpost) October 3, 2024

NEW: A school was tagged with a swastika. The principal then defended it as a "symbol of peace" because she wanted to be inclusive of all cultures. These people are sick.https://t.co/REnt3Yyasr

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) October 3, 2024

The principal has been placed on leave and the school district released a statement on the matter, per KOMO:

The Bellevue School District statement reads:

“There is absolutely no place for hate in the Bellevue School District. In a time where words and symbols are used to divide us, we are working with administrators, staff, and students to call our community in for courageous conversations to affirm each other’s cultures, beliefs, and identities.

We share in the burden and pain that our Jewish families feel regarding the rise in antisemitism locally and across our country. Bellevue, like other districts, has seen a rise in antisemitic incidents, particularly this past year, and we are taking action to address it. Vandalism on a playground using a swastika is antisemitic and goes against our district’s commitment to building what Dr. King championed as “The Beloved Community” – a place where people truly care for one another, and there is no hunger, poverty, or hate. Superintendent Aramaki recently sent out a blog post sharing his commitment to addressing antisemitism in our district. This incident will be investigated and addressed according to our policies and procedures. We acknowledge the pain that every incident like this has on our whole community, but especially on our Jewish community.”

Here’s some additional coverage: