White nationalist propaganda found in Maple Hall

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Mike Brown

Iowa State students Ivan Apolonio and Psalm Amos found what they felt was a xenophobic poster hung on the wall of Maple Hall on Thursday.

Apolonio, senior in kinesiology, posted a photo of the poster on Twitter.

“This is what was found at Maple Hall this morning. A direct insult to our international students and more specifically our DACA students,” Apolonio’s tweet said.

This poster used imaging and rhetoric consistent with the feminist movement, depicting the United States trying to protect its lower border from being grabbed by an unspecified hand depicting a recently trending hashtag.

“#MyBordersMyChoice” is a nationalistic hashtag on Twitter that has also been associated with the white supremacist movement, with posts sporting this hashtag also being paired with “#ItsOkayToBeWhite” a recent social media movement with roots in white nationalism and white supremacy.

“As a member of the science board, a member of the Iowa National Guard, a member of the GRO program and the first person in my generation to go to college, it is an absolute slap in the face,” an email Apolonio shared on social media read.

This poster that has found its way to Iowa State’s campus has also been sighted around college campuses in the United States and versions adapted for other countries have been sighted worldwide.

The poster and phrase has been making rounds on white nationalist and white supremacist websites and forums since at least April 2016.

The university considers acts like this to be “bias incident.” Over 50 incidents were reported during the fall semester. White nationalist, white supremacist and neo-Nazi propaganda has been found at Iowa State several times dating back to 2015. While some acts were treated as criminal mischief, no arrests have been made.

 

This is a developing story.