Two altercations broke out on Saturday night in Vancouver at a University of British Columbia dormitory after a group of Jewish students allegedly tore down Hamas posters from the door of an Arab student, police said Tuesday.

The student was studying in his room at the Place Vanier residence at around 8:30 p.m. when he heard a commotion in the hallway, RCMP spokesman Cpl. Peter Thiessen said.

'The student whose posters had been torn down claims that the student with the video camera made racial slurs during the altercation.' — RCMP Cpl. Peter Thiessen

He saw four male students outside, one of whom was carrying a video camera, and the Hamas posters on his door had been peeled off, Thiessen said.

The four students ran away, but the student from the room caught up with the one with the camera.

"An altercation ensued, and the student with the camera was restrained by the other student until UBC residence advisers arrived," Thiessen said in a news release.

"The student whose posters had been torn down claims that the student with the video camera made racial slurs during the altercation."

Police were not called to the scene after the incident.

About 45 minutes later, six male students came to the Arab student's door and an argument broke out, Thiessen said.

He then chased them away to the outside of the residence building, where he and one of the students allegedly fought with each other, Thiessen said.

Again, the residence advisers arrived and stopped the fight. But the Arab student called the police after the second incident.

RCMP officers from the university detachment later located the two students involved in the altercations with the Arab student and interviewed them.

"They claimed that the reason they were in the hallway outside the other student's apartment was that they were doing a film documentary for their Jewish fraternity," Thiessen said.

They also said they were assaulted during the altercations.

"At this point, no arrests have been made. The investigation is still ongoing," Thiessen said.

The provincial hate crime team under the Attorney General Ministry is assisting with the RCMP investigation because of allegations that there may have been a hate or racial motivation to the incidents, Thiessen said.