A group carrying signs and wearing “Make America Great Again” hats were escorted off the Tennessee State University campus after hosting an unauthorized public demonstration. They carried signs expressing views against DEI and immigration while inviting HBCU students to debate them.
The group called Fearless Debates entered campus around 3 p.m. on Tuesday. They were carrying signs that read, “DEI should be illegal” and “deport all illegals now,” according to The Tennessean.
“They attempted to draw students into conversations centered on these messages, which were framed as debate but functioned as provocation,” the Nashville chapter of the NAACP wrote on social media.
The MAGA group was removed from Tennessee State University’s campus after hosting an unauthorized gathering
Student demanded their removal and campus police eventually escorted the group off campus. Student were reportedly recorded shouting, filming and taking signs off as they were escorted off.
The group is unaffiliated with TSU and its presence was not authorized, the HBCU stated.
“At all times, TSU students conducted themselves in a professional and respectful manner,” a university statement read. “The safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff remain our highest priority. TSU will continue to uphold university policies and ensure that campus remains a safe, welcoming and orderly environment for all members of our community.”
An investigation is currently under way to find out how the group gained access to campus, according to TSU President Dwayne Tucker via The Tennessean. Meetings with students will be hosted in order to discuss the incident.
The NAACP has condemned the incident
The Nashville chapter of the NAACP stated that it was “infuriated and alarmed” that such a group presented itself at an HBCU as it displays a “rhetoric that echoes a long history of exclusion, racism, and systemic oppression.” The Fearless Debates have previously publicly claimed inspiration from Charlie Kirk, according to Black Entreprise.
The NAACP called for renewed vigilance regarding far right groups that may make their presence known.
“This incident was not an isolated act of political expression — it was an intentional effort to antagonize, disrupt, and instill fear in a space created to be safe, affirming and supportive of Black students,” the NAACP said, according to BET. “While we recognize and respect that free speech is a constitutional right, there is a clear and urgent distinction between constructive dialogue and rhetoric deliberately designed to provoke, demean, and endanger the psychological safety of students at HBCUs.”
