The Associated Press

NEW YORK CITY (AP) — Columbia University has denounced a “racially charged incident” after a video went viral showing a white student shouting at a group of minority students that, “White people are the best thing to ever happen to the world.”

University officials released a statement Sunday, calling the footage “alarming” and said it featured “painful language” being used against minority students. The school says it is investigating the incident, which took place on campus early Sunday morning.

The Columbia Daily Spectator student newspaper identified the student as sophomore Julian von Abele.

In the video, the student repeatedly claims that Europeans “invented the modern world.” He then screams, “We’re white men! We did everything!”

It’s unclear what prompted the exchange. Von Abele did not immediately respond to news outlets’ requests for comment.