Boulder, Colo., May 4, 2009 ... Responding to reports that three Boulder middle school students were arrested for ethnic and racial intimidation and threatening sexual assault of a 12 year-old Boulder girl, the Anti-Defamation League's Boulder Office today expressed grave concern and stressed the importance of anti-bias education.

Community Director Amy M. Stein issued the following statement:

ADL is incredibly disheartened to learn of threats of sexual violence and harassment of a young girl by three Boulder boys.  What makes the situation even more deplorable is the alleged targeting of the victim because of her race and ethnicity.  We appreciate and support the work of the Boulder Police Department and the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) in swiftly investigating this crime.

Seeing a crime of this sort, with perpetrators and a victim ages 10-13, underscores the need for continued anti-bias, anti-bullying education in our schools and community.  We all have a responsibility to teach our young people to respect differences and to become allies for each other, and we need to send the message that the behavior demonstrated in this incident is unacceptable and has severe consequences.

ADL works with many students in this age group through our No Place For Hate® program, and we will continue to work with BVSD to make our schools and community safe for all Boulder residents.

All victims of hate deserve our support and our compassion. We call upon the Boulder community to fight hate, in words and in actions, every day to make Boulder no place for hate.