UMN College Republicans' 'Keep America Great' mural 'vandalized' (PHOTOS)

The University of Minnesota College Republicans chapter’s “Keep America Great” mural was “vandalized,” the group tells Campus Reform. 

Every year, student organizations at UMN are allotted space on a bridge, which connects the two halves of the campus, to paint small murals. This year, the College Republicans chapter used its space to call out Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s controversial “some people did something quote,” along with President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election slogan, “Keep America Great,” and other phrases favoring Trump and his policies. 

However, “within an hour and a half it was vandalized,” Brandon Prichard, a member of UMN College Republicans, told Campus Reform. 

“Borders” is now seen crossed out inside of a circle on top of smeared black paint,  as the below photo, taken by Campus Reform, shows. 

“While we are obviously upset about this situation, we are not surprised,” UMN CRs stated in an email obtained by Campus Reform. “This sort of thing happens every year, but what was special about this year was that they had the gall to do this in broad daylight in front of hundreds of people.” 

[RELATED: Christian Center vandalizd with ‘F--- Trump’ graffiti]

Following the defacement, what was once a pro-Republican painting was converted to “an SJW ‘shrine,’” as Nathan Harman, chair of UMN CRs, described it to Campus Reform. 

 Prichard added, “the College Republicans [aren’t] the only ones who have been vandalized. There was a free market environmentalist group that was vandalized, [and] Turning Point’s vandalized almost every year, some other freedom groups are, libertarian groups are.” 

The College Republican said that the group’s display had been vandalized four years in a row. 

He also claimed that none of the left-leaning clubs ever have their murals destroyed. 

“No matter the ugliness of how people respond to us, we will serve that respect for ideas to everyone regardless, and that’s why our members will never be seen so much as laying a finger on the panel of another group, even if their ideas run contrary to our own,” Harman said in an open letter published by the Minnesota Republic. “Censorship is a powerful thing. We hear about it in statist nations like China and Russia….And now, we’ve seen it yet again on our own campus.”

Harman also told Campus Reform that, as of Sunday, the group has not filed a police report; however, the university is clear that vandalism on the bridge is a crime that carries a $300 penalty.

[RELATED: Jefferson statue vandalized at Hofstra University]

Campus Reform visited the bridge and photographed both the vandalized UMN CRs painting and the dozens of left-leaning displays that remain intact, including one painting that states, “America was never great since it was built on hate.” 

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @KyleHooten2