Schapiro condemns alt-right after Charlottesville protests

Go Nakamura/Zuma Press/TNS

The aftermath of a collision involving white nationalist protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday. University President Morton Schapiro expressed disgust over those actions and the response by President Donald Trump.

Ryan Wangman, Summer Managing Editor

University President Morton Schapiro condemned the violence and hatred perpetuated by alt-right nationalist groups in the wake of the events in Charlottesville in an email sent to the Northwestern community Tuesday night.

Schapiro said what happened in Charlottesville was “no mystery”, and that the alt-right groups fought for their version of America, one that doesn’t include many underrepresented groups. He said the fact it all happened on a university campus, and that President Trump ascribed evil to “both sides”, is “an insult to our nation.”

“A university must be a place for vigorous debate and robust discussion,” Schapiro said in the email, which was also signed by Provost Jonathan Holloway. “But such debate cannot include the physical violence, verbal assaults and unmitigated hatred perpetrated by the alt-right and their allies.”

On Saturday, white nationalist groups marched on Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Virginia, in protest of the removal of a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee. Over the course of the day, the march grew violent, and came to a head when a man with Neo-Nazi viewpoints drove a car into a mass of counter-protesters.

Schapiro said the university will continue to foster a “safe and supportive community,” and that he understands the difficulty of grappling with issues regarding freedom of speech.

Schapiro’s email comes on the heels of similar action taken by other Northwestern community members, including Associated Student Government President Nehaarika Mulukutla, who co-signed a document denouncing the racially motivated violence on Sunday alongside 51 other student body representatives.

“This is our campus and our country,” Schapiro said.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @ryanwangman