The Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity expelled four members of the University of Georgia (UGA) chapter following the release of a racist video mocking enslaved people.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), the four students were caught on video during an event not associated with the frat. In the now-viral video, a white frat member can be seen playfully beating another student with a belt. Two others — one holding the camera and another student heard egging on the incident — are laughing as the ridiculous scene took place. 

The student armed with a belt continually demands the other underneath a blanket to “pick my cotton.” Then, the student subjected to the fake beating retorts saying he isn't Black. One of the other two can be heard urging the belt welder use the N-word, which he hesitantly obliges.

A spokesperson from the national headquarters of TKE fraternity has distanced themselves from the video. NBC News reports the organization was made aware of the controversial clip Friday.

“TKE will not tolerate any actions such as these that would be defined as racist, discriminatory and/or offensive,” Tau Kappa Epsilon tweeted in a statement. "These four individuals acted outside the expectations of our membership and their chapter and therefore were removed from both."

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Students reportedly had trouble urging university officials to take appropriate action. But following the social media backlash and the increasing popularity of the #ExposeUGA hashtag, the UGA student government took action against the frat. The screenshots of a student's interaction with officials circulated along with the video.

The TKE chapter was suspended Friday evening, the AJC reports. 

“The executive officers of the Student Government Association are aware of a video circulating on social media that depicts individuals identified as members of a UGA Greek organization using racist language and engaging in behaviors that mock the suffering of enslaved peoples,” the student government letter read. “We have been notified that the chapter is currently suspended, and we can confirm that there is an investigation underway regarding the students involved in the video.”

While the four were suspended for their roles in the video, the TKE spokesperson stated temporary suspension is standard procedure when an investigation is underway.

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Tau Kappa EpsilonTKE suspendedUGA racism