Meghan Holden

mholden@jconline.com

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A group of angered faculty, staff and students are calling on Purdue University leaders to condemn posters promoting white supremacy that were plastered across campus.

The posters found Wednesday morning read, "We have a right to exist," with a drawing of a white man and woman on it. Another said, "Defending your people is a social duty, not an anti-social crime," accompanied by a drawing of a white woman with a baby. The lower left corner of the posters were marked with a fascist symbol.

The signs bear the name of American Vanguard. Its website, reactionamerica.com, says it "fights for a White America." The site provides several printable posters, including the ones that were found at Purdue. The group, via a direct message on Twitter, said it takes responsibility for the signs at the university.

The group said it has allies at Purdue and expects that pool to grow, although the "patriots" involved in the poster campaign have declined to reveal their identities.

Purdue President Mitch Daniels wasn't available for an interview, but he provided the following email statement:

"Reading the dozen or so words on the posters in question, it’s not at all clear what they mean. But if one looks behind them, as I did, to the organization’s website, there are views expressed there that are obviously inconsistent with the values and principles we believe in here at Purdue. This is a transparent effort to bait people into overreacting, thereby giving a minuscule fringe group attention it does not deserve, and that we decline to do."

His response was met with sharp criticism by some who say Daniels should not ignore the poster campaign, but rather clearly state that the university denounces it.

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The Purdue Social Justice Coalition held an emergency meeting on the matter at the West Lafayette Public Library on Wednesday evening. More than 100 members of the university gathered to discuss their next steps on confronting the issue.

They presented a list of four demands from the university, including that Daniels and Vice Provost Deba Dutta release a statement condemning the posters. They also made plans to hold a demonstration on the steps of Hovde Hall at noon on Dec. 5, where they'll demand a statement from Daniels.

"I think the stakes are really high here, folks. These people are fascists ... and they want to build a branch of fascism on our campus," said Bill Mullen, American studies professor. "Our position needs to be 'Not one fascist at Purdue' ... and I think it's critical that we demand a response from the administration. You don't turn your head away from fascism."

The Purdue Graduate Student Government also passed an emergency resolution Wednesday evening that condemns the American Vanguard flier and urges the university administration to condemn them, as well. It also reminds the administration "to always take every available measure to ensure the safety of all Purdue University students regardless of race, creed, or nationality."

Purdue faculty found many of the posters on the front door and inside of Stanley Coulter Hall, which houses the School of Languages and Cultures. They were also posted in other academic buildings and on wooden posts on campus, faculty and students said.

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"People that work in the School of Languages and Cultures are really quite alarmed," said Madeleine Henry, head of the school, of which she said has a large international graduate student population.

A sign in Stanley Coulter that read, "Intolerance will not be tolerated," was ripped off and replaced with one of the white supremacy signs, she said.

Henry had three stacks of the posters in her office that had been taken down from the school and the nearby Recitation Building. She said faculty have reported the incident to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate crimes and hate groups in the U.S.

"When this comes to our campus, it really is something that needs to be addressed by a central spokesperson for the university," Henry said.

The University of Central Florida had similar fliers posted around its campus Wednesday, for which American Vanguard also took credit.

The group's headquarters are in Southern California, according to its website. It has regional branches throughout the country, not including Indiana.

The website boasts of its propaganda campaign and includes the group's manifesto.

"White America is under attack. Through subversion, the forces of Marxism have brought our nation to its knees by rotting it from within," reads part of the manifesto.

Under a section in the manifesto titled, "TOTAL WAR," the group says, "We fight for a White America, but this can never happen unless we win the hearts and minds of our fellow White youth. We want to be at the forefront of the reawakening of White racial consciousness. In order to do this, we must be willing to fight."

Contact J&C higher education reporter Meghan Holden at mholden@jconline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @MeghanHolden.

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