In a mass email to all Colorado State University members sent Feb. 1, President Tony Frank condemned the spread of a number of anti-immigration flyers attributed to the Traditionalists Worker Party that have been posted around campus over the last few days.
“This university strongly respects the Constitution and the First Amendment, and the right of even repugnant viewpoints to be spoken and debated in the public space,” Frank wrote. “But Colorado State University also has the right to publicly assert what it values and stands for – so I’d like to take this opportunity to do that here.”
Frank wrote that TWP are “unapologetic Nazis who advocate murdering all those who don’t align with their worldview.”
“The TWP goes by various names online, but let me keep this simple: a Nazi is a Nazi is a Nazi,” Frank wrote. “Such groups are insidious. They generally hide and grow in the dark, avoiding the direct light of day. When they emerge, they frequently align themselves with groups who hold more mainstream views, as was the case with the anti-immigration flyer scattered on our campus.”
Frank wrote that, while the students associated with organizing the upcoming “Smashing Socialism” event Friday took the appropriate steps to bring a speaker to campus have no track record of causing disturbances, the appearance of white nationalist rhetoric on campus has caused concern surrounding the safety and security of “religious groups, people of color, and other targeted populations relative to protestors and counter-protestors” that may show up to the event.
“In that regard, we have a security plan in place for the event and surrounding areas, and our priority will be to protect the public safety while also allowing people to exercise their constitutional rights to peaceful protest and assembly,” Frank wrote.
Frank also added that the CSU community has trustworthy, confidential resources on campus to support personal security and well-being, and anyone experiencing direct harassment or threats to personal safety can contact CSUPD, Tell Someone, or the new bias reporting hotline.
“So let’s stop this here. Let’s shine a bright light on this and call it for what it is. Colorado State University denounces the racist, homophobic rants of this and any other white nationalist organization that attempts to gain inroads on our campus or in our community,” Frank wrote. “We denounce the sexist, rape-supportive culture they idealize. We denounce their stigmatizing of religions they do not share – and their attempts to claim our national identity as exclusively their own.”
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that President Tony Frank sent the email Feb. 2. The article has been amended with the correct date the email was sent.
Collegian reporter Austin Fleskes can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @Austinfleskes07
