NBC News – Three nooses found hanging from a tree outside a University of Delaware performance hall Tuesday night were being investigated as a racial hate crime, university police said.
The nooses were believed to have been placed between dusk and 10 p.m. outside Mitchell Hall, university police said on Facebook.
Recommended Videos
"We are both saddened and disturbed that this deplorable act has taken place on our campus," University of Delaware President Nancy Targett said in a statement on Facebook.
The incident comes a day after peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrators protested a speech in Mitchell Hall by Fox News commentator and author Katie Pavlich, who has criticized the Black Lives Matter movement.
"This hateful display stands in stark contrast to Monday night's peaceful protest and discussion. We condemn this despicable action and ask everyone in our community to stand together against intolerance and hate," Targett said.
In a tweet, the school's president announced a "campus-wide gathering" on Wednesday.
We are planning a campuswide gathering Wednesday, and will
— Univ. of Delaware (@UDelaware) September 23, 2015
share details as soon as they are available. #VoicesofUDel
Police urged anyone who saw anything suspicious to contact police at 302-831-2222.