UW-Madison publicly denounces 'anti-China' chalkings amid deadly pandemic
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Asian American Studies Program denounced chalkings found on campus.
One of the chalkings referred to the coronavirus as the "Chinese Virus."
Another stated, "Fuck the Chinese Government."
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Asian American Studies program denounced “anti-China” and “anti-Chinese” chalkings discovered on the campus earlier this week. The
On Wednesday, the program shared photos to its official Facebook page of chalkings it said were found on campus on Tuesday.
One of the photos showed a chalking on a sidewalk just across the street from a 7-Eleven that read, “It’s from China #ChineseVirus.” The second photo showed a chalking that read “Fuck the Chinese Government.”
”The Asian American Studies Program denounce these anti-China and anti-Chinese acts found on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on March 24, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has no nationality or race. We stand with the world in compassion and kindness for those affected, as we adhere to the Safer at Home directive,” the Facebook post read.
”We want to be clear that racist behaviors or stereotyping of any kind are not tolerated at UW–Madison—no matter if we are online, passing others in public, or quarantined at home. The Dean of Students Office and colleagues in Student Affairs are working with partners across campus to address incidents of bias and hate in real time, including reaching out to affected communities. The Dean of Students Office responds to every bias incident report received,” the statement continued.
[RELATED: UIllinois warns students against ‘racist and xenophobic’ coronavirus language]
The UW-Madison statement did not specifically mention the chalkings as did the Asian American Studies Program’s Facebook post. UW-Madison did not respond to Campus Reform in time for publication when asked if it considers the chalkings “racist.”
As Campus Reform has reported, colleges and universities across the country have condemned the use of the phrase “Chinese Virus,” calling it xenophobic and racist.” President Donald Trump, who frequently uses the phrase, pushed back on that charge in a recent press briefing.
”It’s not racist at all...It comes from China,” Trump said.
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