'Save the white race' fliers surface on ASU Tempe campus

Just days after Arizona State University issued a letter attempting to calm concerns about "social tensions" and divisions at the school, fliers referring to "save the white race" have surfaced on the university's Tempe campus.

The messages on the fliers, captured in photos submitted to The Arizona Republic, vary. Some say, "Equality is a lie. Race is real. Get woke. Get white."

Others say "Pssst, white person. Stop apologizing. We don't owe them anything," or "Come save the white race with us."

Another version asks, "Still scared of being called racist? May we suggest not caring anymore! (President-elect Donald) Trump didn't, right? 

All are labeled "alt-right," referring to a movement that includes groups on the far right of the political spectrum. They feature Pepe the Frog, a fictional character added to the Anti-Defamation League's database of hate symbols following its use by white supremacists.

An ASU official on Thursday confirmed having seen one of the fliers, which said, "The age of white guilt is over! And the goys are back in town." The official called it "saddening" and said university police were "aware of the incident."

"Ensuring the safety and security of our students is a top priority, and the university undertakes extensive efforts to ensure student safety is not compromised," ASU said in a statement. "ASU is a place where open debate can thrive and honest disagreements can be explored, but not when hateful rhetoric is used. That is not who we are."

Not the first incident

The fliers came less than a week after an incident involving graffiti in a Tempe ASU bathroom stall left some students shaken.

Photos shared on social media showed the threat, written in marker: "We don't want you N------ here," followed by "get out before we kill you #Trump2016 KKK."

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University officials denounced the graffiti at the Palo Verde East dormitory, which was found Friday and soon removed.

On Tuesday, Executive Vice President and Provost Mark Searle sent a letter to the "ASU community," saying "recent events have brought certain ideological and social divisions into sharp relief in ways that some individuals have found deeply unsettling."

"In the past week, we have heard from a number of students, faculty and staff who have expressed concerns about social tensions on campuses and in our communities," Searle wrote. "ASU remains committed to supporting our students’ success, to encouraging diversity and inclusion, and to enhancing the public good through research that improves people's lives."

Universities "depend for their success on a robust marketplace of ideas," he continued. "Without an honest dialogue about even the most difficult issues, we will not progress beyond our differences or find the kinds of pragmatic policy, scientific, or political solutions upon which our collective future so clearly depends."

Searle encouraged "conversations on our campuses that facilitate understanding among us, and that demonstrate respect, kindness and civility toward all members of our diverse and multifaceted ASU communities."

Students respond

ASU student Wasiba Rahman said she wants to learn "why (the people behind the posters, graffiti and similar incidents) are doing it." 

"It doesn’t make sense to me how someone can be so hateful," she said. "At the end of the day, we have our differences, but we’re all human beings."

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Rahman works at ASU's Changemaker Central, a "community of like-minded students that are leading social change."

She said the recent appearances of threats and racial slurs might be an indication that people are more open about their views on race following Trump's controversial presidential campaign, but it was "scarier before where people were secretly racist."

Rahman, who is Muslim and wears a hijab, said the possibility of harassment is always present given the outward display of her faith. But she personally has had only positive experiences since the Nov. 8 election, she said, and she has seen many communities "coming closer together."

She said strangers have approached her and given her hugs, telling her, "You matter. Take care of yourself," and that she belongs in the community. 

The Republic reached out to ASU's College Republicans for comment on the tensions in the wake of Trump's election win but did not receive a response.

Republic reporters Kaila White and Maria Polletta contributed to this article.