DALLAS -- The University of North Texas at Dallas law building in downtown was graffitied with pro-Palestinian messages overnight.
"Free Palestine," "Save Gaza" and "United States war machine" were among phrases spray painted on the base of columns in the entrance to the building and the breezeway on the bottom floor.
Students and staff at the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law arrived Wednesday morning to find the graffiti in areas accessible to the public.
Some phrases were also left on the concrete of Main Street Garden Park across the street from the school, which is located at 106 S. Harwood St.
By 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, staff and security guards from the school were washing off the graffiti from the building. The messages, some of which included profanities, were covered with plastic sheets and wooden pieces as the crews worked.
Joshua Young, director of marketing and communications at UNT Dallas College of Law, said no one was hurt and only the outside parts of the building were graffitied. He said he could not answer additional questions at the moment.
Other UNT Dallas law officials could not be reached for immediate comment.
A building security guard said the facility was closed at 11 p.m Tuesday, and no signs of vandalism were visible then.
A rally organized by the Dallas chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Main Street Garden Park.
The downtown building was once Dallas' old City Hall and police headquarters. It was renovated in 2019 for the law school.
Historical parts of the building were preserved, such as the cell where Lee Harvey Oswald was kept after shooting John F. Kennedy in 1963.
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