Two white students at the UK's Nottingham Trent University have been arrested after a black student, Rufaro Chisango, tweeted a video this week of a pair of white students outside her dorm room chanting racial slurs.
While locked in her dorm room, Chisango recorded the two 18-year-old students as they attempted to terrorize her. In her tweet, she wrote that she was "fuming, the way people in the same uni halls as me are chanting 'we hate the blacks' outside my bedroom door. Words cannot describe how sad this makes me feel, in this 2018 people think this is still acceptable."
As of today, the video has been seen nearly 3.4 million times. Throughout the short clip, the two males are confronted by a female student of an unknown race demanding that they leave the victim alone. However, her attempt to stop the taunting falls short. The males persist.
yoo I’m fuming, the way people in the same uni halls as me are chanting “we hate the blacks” outside my bedroom door. Words cannot describe how sad this makes me feel, in this 2018 people think this is still acceptable???? pic.twitter.com/XUiYqNIWQT
— Ruu (@rufarochisango_) March 7, 2018
In addition to the racial chants, Chisango tweeted that the two students were also yelling "blacks would go back to picking cotton." She wrote that she was the only black student on the floor, so there was no mistake who the chants were meant for.
Okay this happened Monday night, the video wasn’t able to catch what else they were saying which was “blacks would go back to picking cotton”. I’m the only black person on my floor and they were chanting this outside my door so don’t be surprised to why I didn’t leave my room
— Ruu (@rufarochisango_) March 7, 2018
Chisango reached out to university officials on Twitter and in person with the hope that the university could launch an investigation into the racial incident.
I told the reception and they said that this will be dealt with Tuesday morning, they took my details and said they would inform me… it’s Wednesday night and they haven’t.
— Ruu (@rufarochisango_) March 7, 2018
I have written a statement and sent it to the uni, and so have my parents and some friends
— Ruu (@rufarochisango_) March 7, 2018
By Thursday, university officials made a statement on Twitter, informing students that the bullies have been suspended from school and that both have been arrested. But the delay in action has made Chisango lose faith in the university.
"It shouldn't have [taken] such a long delay when I reported something like this," she told the BBC. "I just want the appropriate action to be taken."
The suspected perpetrators have been suspended immediately and a thorough investigation is in progress. We are also cooperating fully with the police, who have launched a criminal investigation and have made arrests.
— Nottingham Trent Uni (@TrentUni) March 8, 2018
All @TrentUni are appalled at this behaviour which will not be tolerated. The alleged perpetrators have been suspended and a disciplinary inquiry begun. The police are conducting an investigation and have made arrests. We are also supporting the complainant and her flatmates. https://t.co/5JsvxxneyN
— Edward Peck (@ProfEdwardPeck) March 8, 2018
As the representative of African, Arab, Asian and Caribbean students on campus, National Union of Students officer Ilyas Nagdee said that these racial incidents are not new and are very "common."
"We've seen examples of incidents like the racist writing on bananas at Warwick, the Confederate flag at Manchester and now shouting through the door in Nottingham," Nagdee said. "These are just the stories that go viral over social media. But unfortunately this is the day-to-day experience of students of color across the country and it has been going on for decades."
He added, "I'm contacted at least a couple of times a week by students asking me for help after experiencing racism."
The Nottinghamshire Police told the BBC that they are treating this "hate crime as a priority."
