George Washington U.’s President Called the Posters ‘Offensive.’ Now He Says They’re Protected Speech.

Posters that satirize the 2022 Winter Olympic Games by calling attention to the Chinese government’s human-rights abuses sparked a free-speech firestorm at George Washington University over the weekend.

The university’s interim president, Mark S. Wrighton, initially called the posters personally offensive and vowed to identify the students responsible for putting them up. But on Monday, after critics accused him of censorship, Wrighton reversed course, writing in a statement the posters were protected speech.

The five posters that appeared in campus buildings on Thursday were designed by Badiucao, a Chinese-Australian artist and activist whose political cartoons are critical of the Chinese Communist Party. The “Beijing 2022″ images include an ice skater gliding over the Hong Kong flag’s flower emblem, an athlete snowboarding atop a surveillance camera, and a curling team member throwing a coronavirus particle across the ice.

The topics, the dissident artist wrote on Twitter, depict the Communist party’s oppression of the Tibetan people, “the Uyghur genocide, the dismantling of democracy in Hong Kong, the regime’s omnipresent surveillance systems, and lack of transparency surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Piero Cruciatti, AFP, Getty Images

The university’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association was among the groups contending that the posters insulted China and discriminated against Asians. Students aired their concerns on WeChat, the Chinese instant-messaging platform, and also wrote directly to Wrighton. They said the posters amounted to “vicious personal attacks on all international students from China and Asian groups.” They called for “severe punishment for posters, and a public apology to all Chinese and Asian students.”

Wrighton responded, in a message that was leaked on Twitter, that he was “saddened by this terrible event,” and he said the university “will undertake an effort to determine who is responsible.” Wrighton wrote that “I treasure the opportunity to work with talented people from all over the world, including China.” He thanked the students for writing him directly and said the university would remove the posters as soon as possible.

The posters come at a time when many students and scholars are suffering from anti-Asian slurs and discrimination, and are demanding greater protection. Another group, the university’s Chinese Cultural Association, wrote on WeChat that the image of a curling team member pushing the Covid virus forward could feed conspiracy theories and resonate with those who’ve called it the “Chinese virus.”

The controversy at George Washington also highlights how efforts to protect students from discriminatory treatment can butt up against the need to maintain an open environment for robust debate about difficult issues.

Badiucao defended his work on Twitter on Saturday and urged Wrighton to explain why he found it personally offensive. He also suggested that the university hold a debate on whether the posters are racist or legitimate criticism of the Chinese Communist Party.

No one immediately responded to messages sent on Monday to the university’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association.

The president’s statement also prompted a rebuke from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a group that advocates for free speech.

Sarah McLaughlin, director of targeted advocacy for FIRE, said in an interview with The Chronicle on Monday that the university should consider the repercussions that the students and their families might face if they were publicly identified as having distributed the posters.

“If the students who posted these flyers happen to be from China or Hong Kong, it’s possible they could be in peril if their names are made public,” McLaughlin said.

On Monday, Wrighton released a statement saying that he had responded too quickly when a student and others raised concerns about the posters.

“At that time, and without more context on the origin or intent of the posters, I responded hastily to the student, writing that I, too, was concerned,” the president wrote. “University staff also responded to ensure the posters were removed. These responses were mistakes. Every member of the GW community should feel welcome and supported, but I should have taken more time to understand the entire situation before commenting.

“I have since learned from our university’s scholars that the posters were designed by a Chinese-Australian artist, Badiucao, and they are a critique of China’s policies. Upon full understanding, I do not view these posters as racist; they are political statements. There is no university investigation underway, and the university will not take any action against the students who displayed the posters.”

Wrighton said he supports freedom of speech, even when it offends people, and also supports students and faculty members who advocate against discrimination, marginalization, and oppression.

McLaughlin, of FIRE, said she was encouraged by the president’s reversal, but added: “The next time GW is faced with censorship demands, it should first look to its free-speech commitments, not how it can suppress speech.” She said she worried that the outcome might have been different if Wrighton’s email hadn’t been made public and widely criticized.