About 200 to 400 Kutztown University students gathered outside South Dining Hall protesting a demonstration by Matthew 24 Ministries on Nov. 30.
During the protest, members of the small religious group held signs that portrayed messages of hate toward Muslims, atheists, women and the LGBT community.
“These demonstrations have been staged by an outside organization called Matthew 24 Ministries,” said Dr. Donavan McCargo, Dean of Students and Chairman of the KU Bias Response Task Force, in a campus announcement to students and faculty earlier that day prior to the demonstration. “While we must keep in mind that all individuals have the right to free speech on our campus, our university rejects all forms of racism, bigotry and discrimination.”
Law enforcement were on campus “to protect the Constitutional rights of all persons.”
The GLBTQ Center and Women’s Center were open for support during the time of demonstration. The Counseling Center was also on alert if anyone needed further consultation, according to the campus announcement.
Matt Santos, Interim Associate Vice President of University Relations, said the group arrived at 11:48 a.m. and stayed for five hours outside of South Dining Hall.
“Crowds ranged from 200 to 400 students according to university police,” said Santos.
KU students protested by surrounding the demonstrators. Some held their own signs such as “Feminists Fight Back” and a rainbow flag in protest.
There were no arrests, reported Santos.
