The University of Mississippi banner is waved during pregame activities before the start of an NCAA college football game in October 2021. University leaders denounced the action during a protest last week.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP
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Rogelio V. Solis/AP
The University of Mississippi banner was waved during pregame activities before the start of an NCAA college football game in October 2021. University leaders denounced the action during a protest last week.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP
The University of Mississippi has opened an investigation into student conduct after saying “acts of hate and racism” were committed at a campus protest this week. before.
Videos of Thursday’s protests circulating on social media showed heated confrontations between pro-Palestinian protesters and a much larger group of counter-demonstrators.
One video shows a black woman and a group of white male protesters yelling at each other. In it, a man imitates the sounds and dances of a monkey toward a woman, while others in the crowd chant “Lock her up!”
In a letter to students and faculty the next day, university President Glenn Boyce said that “university leaders are aware that some of the statements made were offensive, hurtful and insensitive.” acceptable” and opened an investigation into a student’s behavior. “We are working to determine whether more cases are needed,” he added.
“Behaviors and comments that demean people because of their race or ethnicity marginalize them and undermine the fundamental values of a safe and civil society,” Boyce wrote. ”.
in one announced on SaturdayPhi Delta Theta fraternity said it removed a member from the Mississippi Alpha chapter at the school responsible for “racist actions in the video,” which it said went against the fraternity’s values .
College student government leadership said in a letter on Friday that “unacceptable comments were made, contrary to our cherished values” during the protest.
For many, the moment served as a dark reminder of the history of racism at the University of Mississippi. Break the distinction there has been a decades-long effort. Its previous mascot was a plantation owner named Colonel Rebel. The university in recent years has moved to expel alliance symbol long-term attachment to the pride of the school and the state.
Boyce acknowledged the school’s past.
He said: “While we are a modern university with a vibrant community of more than 25,000 people, it is important to acknowledge our challenging history and how incidents like this can sets us back.” “That’s one reason we don’t take this issue lightly and can’t let the unacceptable behavior of a few define our organization or define us.”
