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Students to protest the hate speech on campus

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Nathan Pigott

Students enrolled in Margaret Hambrick’s Rhetoric of Social Movements class will be hosting a protest on campus on Thursday, April 20 at 1:30 p.m. at the Veteran’s Pavilion.

The protest, called “Soar Above the Hate,” will focus on bringing awareness to recent hate speech instances that have occurred on campus and “bring an end to this ignorance.”

“This hate speech does not represent our university and will not be tolerated by our student body,” said junior communication major Nikoletta Pappas, who is helping run the public relations aspect of the protest.

Protesters will walk through campus during the protest, but will discuss the recent issues at the Veteran’s Pavilion.

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Pappas said that the protest will consist of participants from other protests that have occurred during this school year.

Planning for the protest consists of work on several different areas, like planning the issues that will be addressed as well as the demands that protestors will address during the event.

Flyers and posters were passed out and posted around campus to promote the protest.

Members of Hambrick’s class also created two videos promoting the protest.

Students, faculty and members of other organizations are involved with the planning as well.

Pappas said that she hopes to successfully bring the recent issues to the school during the protest.

“Out of protesting, we hope to bring our demands to the school, share love speech instead of hate speech, have speakers and performers and allow the student body to be aware of what is happening on our campus and how we can personally impact it and change it,” Pappas said.

Pappas said that hate speech on campus doesn’t just affect one group of people, but the entire student body.

“Everyone should feel safe here and feel as though they can thrive in an environment that does not attack them or others through hate speech,” Pappas said.

Participants are encouraged to use the hashtag #SoarAboveHate on social media during the protest.

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