American Identity Movement posters found on campus | The Wright State Guardian
On Sunday, March 8, numerous students discovered posters in the Tom Hanks Center for Motion Pictures and the Paul Lawrence Dunbar Library. The posters were identified to be from the American Identity Movement, a non-university affiliated organization.
The group has been classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League as a “designated hate group.”
The American Identify Movement is rebranded from the now-defunct Identity Evropa. The organization says its five principles are: nationalism, identitarianism, protectionism, non-interventionism, and populism. Identity Evropa hung flyers on campus nearly a year ago.
“The American Identity Movement (AIM) is an alt-right white supremacist group that began in 2019 as a rebranding of Identity Evropa, one of the largest groups within the alt-right segment of the white supremacist movement.” according to the Anti-Defamation League. “For all practical purposes, AIM is essentially Identity Evropa with a new name and logo.”
The students that discovered the posters on campus immediately disposed of them and contacted university officials. Wright State University released a statement to the campus community on Monday, March 9.
“Over the weekend, an organization not affiliated with Wright State University placed posters in numerous unauthorized spaces around campus,” said Lindsay Miller, interim chief diversity officer, and director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion. “We are very grateful for the members of our community who came forward and alerted the university so many of them could be promptly removed. University police officers and staff searched Dayton Campus buildings and the tunnels in an effort to remove all materials posted in violation of the university’s posting policy.”
Two students discovered the posters on Sunday.
“I was walking through the library about 6:30 p.m. to check if Starbucks was open. I noticed the poster stuck in the corner of a picture frame, very out of place. Out of curiosity, I looked at it and instantly was very frustrated. I didn’t know the organization off the top of my head, but based on the phrase ‘Diversity Destroys Nations,’ I could definitely assume what they were about. [After] one quick Google search later, I had my answer. I was honestly disgusted seeing it there,” said the first student.
“I was p—– off. While I am working on a film in the studio there [are] a group of nazis plastering the halls with this despicable material. These posters portray Nazi, nationalist, fascist b——-. I ripped them off the wall. Then I warned other people. This is a hate group. I was working on schoolwork,” said the second student.
Miller reiterated that Wright State University, a state-supported public university, must allow individuals or groups to express their First Amendment rights. But, they must adhere to university policy.
“We’ve spoken to several members of our community today who are concerned, frustrated, and scared about the discovery of these posters. Your feelings are valid,” said Miller.
The university is urging those concerned to say something. Incidents can be reported to the University Police Department, the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
“Wright State does not support the actions or messages from groups like these and will do everything in its power to protect its community when it is targeted by them,” said Miller.
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