News
Joint statement by mayor of Wageningen, WUR and Idealis on hateful messages directed at Chinese students
Unknown persons have defaced a Wageningen student building with hateful slogans such as ‘Die Chinese’ and ‘Chinese Corona’ on the night of 8 February. Faeces were smeared on the elevator, a Chinese flag was torn from a door and there was banging on doors and windows. ‘This is truly awful,’ says Simon Vink, spokesperson for Wageningen University & Research.
According to Simon Vink, this far surpasses normal prankish behaviour. WUR is taking the issue very seriously and has contacted student housing provider Idealis, police and the mayor.
Vink: ‘We should not blow this out of proportion, but this is a very disrespectful, discriminating act against a group of very valued students. We will meet with the Chinese students, and intend to voice our support for them. The events unfolding in China, where their family and friends are, are bad enough as it is, without them having to deal with being treated in such a manner here in Wageningen.’