Early Monday morning, EMU cleaning crews entered the LGBTQA office to find a large swastika spray-painted on the ground, as well as a spray-painted television and computer.
While it is unclear who exactly committed this violation of our students’ safe space, we believe it isn’t a coincidence at all that this act follows many other hateful acts happening around campus connected with the Pacifica Forum. We find it not only upsetting, but outrageous that it has taken a hate crime such as this to have this issue be taken seriously.
This is not, and has not, been an issue of free speech. Rather, this is an issue of student and campus safety.
While this is one act of bigotry targeted toward LGBTQ folk specifically, many other communities have also been afraid for their own safety in these past few weeks. And whether these individuals who committed these crimes are connected to the Pacifica Forum or not, it is obvious that their sympathy with those who subscribe to neo-Nazi ideals enables hateful acts such as these to occur on campus and threaten student safety. That being said, we are perplexed as to why the Pacifica Forum is still being allowed to use University resources to further perpetuate their messages of hate and intolerance.
When some of us are threatened, all of us are threatened, and for many of us, our own campus and student union building are no longer safe spaces where we can meet. We demand swift and appropriate action be taken against the obvious inspiration behind attacks such as these: the Pacifica Forum. Whether the administration removes it or not, we will continue fighting for our spaces, for our collective sense of safety and above all, for tolerance. We will not apologize for who we are, and we stand united and proud in the face of hate and bigotry.
We ask students to provide support to everyone who has been affected by this event.
Students will be assembling for a solidarity march today at 11:30 a.m. at the corner of East 13th Avenue and Kincaid Street, followed by a rally in the EMU Amphitheater at noon. All are welcome to attend and participate. You can also help show solidarity by picking up and wearing a rainbow pin and dark green armband in the ASUO office, in the LGBTQA office or at today’s march. Please reach out to everyone you can to encourage them to join with us in demonstrating their support.
An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. We ask your support now as we work past this hateful attack and fight to promote a campus and a community that is free of hate and accepting of all people.
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