Social media reports of racist group chats linked to supporters of President-elect Donald Trump surfaced Friday at the University of Pennsylvania, with black students being added to group messages that included profanity, racist images and invitations to a “daily lynching,” according to screenshots the students posted.
CAUTION: Many of the links below contain graphic and offensive images and language
Calvary Rogers, a student at the university, posted to Facebook on Friday afternoon, saying every black freshman was added to a GroupMe message thread titled “N----- lynching.”
Chidera Asiegbu, another student, also tweeted out images from a different group she said she was included in called “TRUMP IS LOVE” that used the N-word, called black students “slave” and other racist terms and included a picture of a Jim Crow-era lynching.
$20 for 365 Days of Unlimited Digital Access
Last chance to take advantage of our best offer of the year! Act now!
#ReadLocal
Two of the images posted by students showing racist messages sent to students at the University of Pennsylvania.
Sam White, a recent graduate of Villanova, also shared an image of messages from a group called “Mud Men” making references to Nazi salutes and racist terms.
The university released a statement Friday afternoon saying it believed the group messages were started in Oklahoma and vowing to determine the exact source of the messages and provide support for affected students.
A statement from Penn on the current events on campus. pic.twitter.com/CALK7OERup
— Penn (@Penn) November 11, 2016
This is not the first instance of racial abuse and harassment since Trump’s election on Tuesday. A Philadelphia woman’s car was vandalized Wednesday with spray-painted messages saying “Trump Rules” and profanities, according to Billy Penn.
In York, Pennsylvania, there were reports at a local high school of white students cursing and spitting on minority students. A Facebook user posted a video on students carrying a Trump sign while yelling “white power,” according to the Boston Globe. In Royal Oak, Michigan, middle school students chanted “Build that wall!” at Latino students during lunch, per The Detroit News.
Numerous other incidents have been reported, and while some have been debunked by police as false reports, many videos and pictures are being investigated by school districts and police departments, per CNN.
Comments