-
Advertisement
Racism and other prejudice
AsiaAustralasia

Australian students who dressed as KKK forced to complete Indigenous subject

University suspended some of the students and said they would also have to ‘engage with Indigenous and Jewish communities’

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Charles Sturt University students dressed as klansmen and their black slave for a 'politically incorrect' end-of-term party. Photo: Instagram
The Guardian
A group of Australian university students who dressed as members of the Ku Klux Klan and in blackface as a “cotton-picking” slave will be forced to complete a course on Australian Indigenous culture.

Charles Sturt University announced on Monday that five students had received punishments ranging from exclusion and suspension to a requirement to complete the university’s Indigenous Australian Cultures, Histories and Contemporary Realities subject.

In June it was reported that the five students had dressed up for a “politically incorrect” end-of-term party at the Black Swan hotel in Wagga Wagga.

On a local level, it deeply offended our indigenous and Jewish communities
Andrew Vann, CSU Vice-Chancellor

A since-deleted photo posted to Instagram was captioned “very very politically incorrect … Cotton prices are unreal though so it’s a great time to be pickin”.

Advertisement

It showed five men in home-made Ku Klux Klan hoods and robes and one man in blackface and body paint, pretending to be a slave.

On Monday the university announced the penalties and said the students would also have to “engage with indigenous and Jewish communities”.

Advertisement

CSU Vice-Chancellor Andrew Vann said the images posted on social media had “resulted in global outrage and contact to the university from individuals around the globe”.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x