FBI, Ole Miss Hunt Culprit Behind Noose on Statue

Confederate flag, racist slurs cited in attack
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 19, 2014 9:36 AM CST
FBI, Ole Miss Hunt Culprit Behind Noose on Statue
Students hold hands with the James Meredith statue during a gathering at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014.   (AP Photo/The Daily Mississippian, Thomas Graning)

After a noose and a Confederate flag were found early Sunday on a statue of the University of Mississippi's first black student, James Meredith, Ole Miss is now looking for two men who, according to a witness, were shouting racial slurs while vandalizing the statue. The FBI is also investigating, the New York Times reports. Yesterday, students held a vigil at the 2006 statue. "The actions done in the cowardly dark will never diminish the light of James Meredith’s legacy nor our creed," read one sign.

The university's chancellor weighed in on the attack: "These individuals chose our university’s most visible symbol of unity and educational accessibility to express their disagreement with our values," said Daniel Jones. The Ole Miss alumni association is offering $25,000 for information on the case. But as of yesterday, university police had little to go on, the chief told Talking Points Memo. (More University of Mississippi stories.)

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