Alt-reich? Student defends a vendor selling swastika shirts on USC campus

Heated confrontation between students erupted

A vendor on Trousdale was selling shirts with swastikas on them today, much to the vocal dismay of passing students.

USC Annenberg Media reports that, “So far, two shirts have been found with the symbol, one with a chart of different versions of the symbol with “Friends of the Swastika” printed on top and one with a smiling, singing swastika in the center of the shirt.”

After students confronted the vendor to inquire why he would market the symbol on a private campus, Freshman Claire Hill came to his defense, citing free speech. A Facebook Live video by Drew Schwendiman showed Hill’s defense and confrontation with the concerned students, one of whom lambasted the vendor for selling “a symbol of death” and propagating “hate speech” on a private campus.

Hill was soon escorted away by DPS.

“I find it absolutely disgusting that anyone would come to this man’s place of business and start accusing him of things,” Hill said. “If that constitutes as free speech, then I do not care what you have to say, and I may not agree with it, but I will fight to my death for your right to say it.”

Although the offended students appear in the video to simply be engaging with Hill and the vendor, Hill told them,”Go set up your booth somewhere else. You do not have the right to interfere with this man’s privately run business.”

Another girl opposing Hill’s viewpoint said, “We were trying to understand why he would even put it up in the first place. He was thinking that no one would get offended by swastikas. We were just confused because the swastika has been used in certain connotations.”

Hill responded, “In certain connotations, of course!”

Soon after, DPS came to escort Hill away.

VP-elect Morgan Monahan was quickly on the scene with Austin Dunn.

USG President-elect Austin Dunn and Vice President-elect Morgan Monahan verified that the vendor had a permit to sell on campus and stood watch with DPS officers.

USG Senator Josh Lurie noted that while the vendor’s business was a part of the “‘Friends of the Swastika’ aimed at reclaiming the swastika from Nazis…a symbol of such hatred cannot and should not be reclaimed for positivity, for that diminishes what it meant to the millions who died and were tortured under it.”

Ilana Spiegel posted pictures of the shirts branded with the “Friends of the Swastika” symbol in a public Facebook album. The post currently has nearly 1,000 comments, many with anti-Semitic messages or Pepe the frogs and other insignias of the alt-right.

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