White Columbia University student goes on racist tirade
A white Columbia sophomore was caught on disturbing video unleashing a racist tirade aimed at a group of students of color – yelling that “white people are the best thing that happened to the world,” according to a report.
The apparently drunk student, identified by the Columbia Spectator as Julian von Abele, followed the group from Butler Library to a campus eatery about 4 a.m. Sunday.
“We invented science and industry and you want to tell us to stop because, ‘Oh my God, we’re so bad!’” he is seen shouting in the video shot by one of the onlookers.
“We saved billions of people from starvation, we built modern civilization! White people are the best thing that ever happened to the world!” continues the bespectacled young man, who is clad in a blazer and button-down shirt.
The incredulous students express shock at his unhinged rant.
“Oh, my God,” one says. Another is heard asking, “What about slavery?”
“White people are the best thing ever,” the student continues, unabated. “I love myself and I love my people.”
“Say it again!” another onlooker shouts.
“F–k yeah! White people,” the student adds. “We’re white people. We did everything. I don’t hate other people, I just love myself. I just love white men.”
Kwolanne Felix, one of the harassed students, called for the Ivy League university to respond strongly to the incident.
“I really hope that Columbia takes further action. They should definitely try to talk to the students that were affected by that and ensure everyone’s okay because that’s really hard to internalize,” Felix told the Spectator, a student paper.
The Black Students’ Organization at Columbia released a statement saying the student also physically grabbed one of the others and asked if black women like to date white men.
University Senator Alfredo Dominguez, a senior studying ethnicity and race studies, emailed University President Lee Bollinger, Columbia College Dean James Valentini and other officials calling for disciplinary action.
“You can have arguments all you want about free speech and people being entitled to say what they want,” Dominguez told the Spectator.
“But when that bubbles [into] assaulting black or brown people with that and then stalking them … you’re getting into levels of hate crime and your speech being directly related to violence,” he said.
Dean of Multicultural Affairs Melinda Aquino responded by saying the university was addressing the ugly incident and taking student concerns seriously.
It was unclear if von Abele, who did not respond to the paper’s request for comment, would face any disciplinary action.
A Columbia rep did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Post.
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