SAN DIEGO — Students and faculty were surprised to find flyers promoting white nationalist ideology as they returned to campus on Thursday.
Students were back on campus preparing for the first day of fall classes at San Diego State University to begin on Monday. Many were surprised to find a number of flyers and stickers in support and acknowledgment of a known white nationalist hate group were posted at various campus locations.
Jackson Noye, a freshman at SDSU was one of those students. "I'm pretty sure everyone feels that hate has no place at San Diego State,"
SDSU issued a statement that confirmed the materials are being removed, as they violate the university’s Buildings and Grounds policy. Further, the university said it denounces white nationalist hate groups and any form of action or conduct that serves to incite hatred or intolerance, which are inconsistent with SDSU’s community values of diversity and inclusion. The school says its campus community is one that deeply values and respects diversity, difference and inclusion.
White supremacist propaganda distribution on college campuses increased for the third straight year, according to data released by ADL (Anti-Defamation League). From Sept. 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019, ADL’s Center on Extremism documented 313 cases of white supremacist propaganda on college campuses – including flyers, stickers and posters – compared to 292 during the 2017-2018 academic year, representing a 7 percent increase.
An all-campus email was sent out on Thursday:
Dear SDSU Community,
We were reminded this morning that there are those who would attempt to divide our community and try to introduce hatred and intolerance. At some point last night or this morning, flyers and stickers promoting the ideologies of white nationalist hate groups were posted at various campus locations, including the Women’s Resource Center and Pride Center. The flyers and stickers are similar to those found on other campuses across the nation. As support constitutionally protected free speech, we will continue to enforce university policy. For this particular matter, the flyers violated San Diego State University’s Buildings and Grounds policy and are being removed.
As a community that deeply values and respects diversity and difference, we reject the hatred and intolerance these flyers and stickers attempted to promote. This attempt to promote hatred over community is particularly appalling as it appears timed with our welcoming students and new employees to our campus. It is important, then, that we take this time to remind our campus community of existing initiatives, programs and support offered.