Attack the hat
Hat-man was wearing a red ball cap which read ‘Make America Great Again,’ the slogan Republican Trump has been using during his campaign, when approached by a woman who demanded he take it off. An argument ensued that was captured on a phone and posted on Youtube today; it’s had hundreds of thousands of views.
The young woman, who later identifies herself on social media as Zoe Slusar, who is reportedly a former vice-president of the student body at MRU, is seen on the video arguing that the unidentified Hat-man must take the hat off because it promotes hate.
He says it’s just a hat to show support for a political candidate. She threatens to get the president of the university, Dr. David Docherty, and bring him down to speak to Hat-man, and refuses to back down.
“I went up and asked him if he would take the hat off, explaining a university should be a safe space,” she wrote on social media.
“It was impossible to communicate to him why wearing a hat in support of a movement grown on the seeds of racism, bigotry and exclusion of diversity (sexual and cultural) could make some people afraid.”
Trump hat fight
Another young male, also unidentified, comes to the rescue of Hat-man, arguing loudly with Slusar that Trump does not hate immigrants, is married to one and only campaigns against illegal immigrants. Slusar argues being married to an immigrant does not mean Trump supports them and insists the hat must go.
Eventually a third young male walks up and grabs the hat — here comes the mild violence part — and removes it from Hat-man’s head, walking away with it. That’s as far as the video goes and we are unable to tell you the outcome.
Will the hat be banned from campus? If it is, does that broaden the definition of hate speech? Is Slusar right to call his (to her) hated hat “hate speech’?
It’s unclear if Slusar did indeed tell on Hat-man, but the university issued a statement regarding the incident — apparently learning of it when the Youtube video being posted to Facebook. The statement suggests that MRU officials may lean toward Hat-man having the right to wear the hat but does not specifically defend him.
“We are aware of the post and will not comment on the specifics of this instance,” their statement said. “Mount Royal University respects individuals who exercise their constitutionally-protected right to freedom of expression.”
Whether anyone on campus became afraid because of the hat is unkown.
