Dartmouth President Investigate Black-on-White Intimidation

Dartmouth College is “investigating all reports of violations of College policy and will enforce appropriate sanctions,” after Black Lives Matter activists insulted and intimidated other students in the college library Nov. 12, according to a Monday email from college President Phil Hanlon.

The campus conservative newspaper Dartmouth Review reported the Nov. 12th incident:

Black-clad protesters gathered in front of Dartmouth Hall, forming a crowd roughly one hundred fifty strong.  Ostensibly there to denounce the removal of shirts from a display in Collis [student center], the Black Lives Matter collective began to sing songs and chant their eponymous catchphrase. Not content to merely demonstrate there for the night, the band descended from their high-water mark to march into Baker-Berry Library.

“Fuck you, you filthy white fucks!” “Fuck you and your comfort!” “Fuck you, you racists shits!”

Video of part of the protest went viral.

Hanover, New Hampshire police chief Charlie Dennis told TV station WMUR tha he also watched the video and didn’t see anything criminal.

“You have to have a victim, and you have to have a crime,” he said. “I know when things like this happen, people get passionate, and we are trying to be respectful of First Amendment rights and everything like that.”

That argument didn’t stop the University from investigating. President Hanlon expressed praise for the goal of “social justice” in his email but went on to say that abusive language is “not acceptable.” Hanlon’s letter reads in part:

On Thursday evening, Nov. 12, a large demonstration by members of the Dartmouth and Upper Valley communities culminated in a moment of silence in front of Dartmouth Hall. This demonstration was a powerful expression of unity in support of social justice—Dartmouth at its strongest.

I cannot say the same about events that transpired in Baker Library immediately afterward. I have heard reports of vulgar epithets, personal insults, and intimidating actions used both by students who entered the library and students who were already in the library. We are actively investigating all reports of violations of College policy, and will enforce appropriate sanctions. Such behavior is antithetical to our values and goals as an institution. As one of the great institutions of higher learning, we are committed to the open and energetic exchange of ideas. And as Dartmouth’s citizenship pledge reminds us, we must treat each person with dignity and respect. Abusive language aimed at community members—by any group, at any time, in any place—is not acceptable.

It’s unclear who Hanlon is referring to when he talks about “students who were already in the library.”

h/t The Tab.