RIO RANCHO, NM — One month after a peaceful October 7 memorial on the University of New Mexico campus was destroyed, State Senator Craig Brandt (R-Rio Rancho) is condemning university leadership for its continued silence and warning that UNM is setting a dangerous double standard for which students it chooses to protect.
On October 7, 2026, students placed approximately 100 Israeli flags and a memorial sign near UNM's duck pond to remember the victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel. According to the Jewish Community Relations Coalition of New Mexico (JCRC-NM), a hostile crowd destroyed the memorial, trampled the flags, took a student's personal belongings, and reportedly chanted "death to Israel." Video also reportedly showed a hat being burned before university police intervened.
On November 3, Senator Brandt, joined by fellow state senators, sent a formal letter to UNM President Dr. Steve Goldstein and the UNM Board of Regents demanding an investigation, accountability for those responsible, and an explanation of the university's response. The letter also questioned why an earlier inquiry from JCRC-NM had reportedly gone unanswered.
As of November 9, neither President Goldstein nor the Board of Regents has responded. UNM told a news outlet in October that it was investigating, but university leadership has not answered the Senators' letter or shared what, if anything, that investigation has found.
"Silence is a choice, and UNM leadership has made it," said Senator Brandt. "Students who peacefully gathered to remember the victims of terrorism had their memorial destroyed and their belongings taken. A month later, the university still will not answer to the people's elected representatives. That is shameful."
Senator Brandt warned that UNM's handling of the incident sends a troubling message: that the protections the university promises every student depend on whether that student's cause is politically convenient. UNM's own Board of Regents policy commits the university to viewpoint-neutral rules that apply evenly to everyone, and it states plainly that property damage, harassment, and threats are not protected expression.
"Freedom of speech does not include the right to destroy someone else's memorial, take their property, or threaten them," Brandt continued. "UNM's rules must mean the same thing for every student, no matter what they believe or who they are mourning. When one group of students can be harassed and have their property destroyed with no visible consequences, the university is treating them as a liability instead of a responsibility. That preferential treatment is unacceptable. It sets a precedent that opens the door for the next group of students, whether they are praying, mourning, or peacefully demonstrating, to be treated the same way."
Senator Brandt is again calling on President Goldstein and the Board of Regents to provide a formal written response, release the findings of the university's investigation, hold those responsible accountable under UNM's own policies, and explain how the university will ensure its rules are enforced equally for every student.
"UNM receives substantial taxpayer support, and New Mexicans have every right to expect their flagship university to follow its own policies," Brandt said. "Prejudice and intimidation against any group cannot be met with silence. If UNM leadership will not answer to the Legislature, it will have to answer to the public."
Senator Craig Brandt represents New Mexico Senate District 40, serving portions of Sandoval County. He has been an outspoken advocate for combating Jew Hatred, strengthening New Mexico's relationship with Israel, and protecting religious freedom.
