Canadian students from Queen's University are facing backlash for throwing a party. Now, it's not the partying per se that got the community riled up but its theme, which is racism.
Vice reported that a set of photos revealed the racist party at Queen's University in Kingston last weekend. Students dressed up as Chinese food takeout, monks, Arabs, and Viet Cong-esque can be seen in the photos.
"A very shockingly racist party thrown by Queen's students happened and the photos made me feel sick to my stomach," Celeste Yim posted on Twitter. Attached to her tweet were some photos of the party.
"I was shocked," she told the publication. "I couldn't believe how blatant they were, there was nothing nuanced about them. They were jarringly racist. The photos are indisputably offensive, in context or out of context."
Apparently, the photos were taken from an annual party on campus named "Beerfest." The event mainly focuses on an evening of drinking games.
It was noted that the party was held in a gigantic tent that was set up in a backyard. Attendees were also told to dress up as a specific country.
A graduate of the university revealed that students previously paid $75 to attend the party. Afterwards, they were put into different country-based teams to win prizes.
"This isn't an isolated event at Queen's," one student who briefly attended the event said. "All these things are brewing and adding up and it's pretty frustrating and it's pretty disappointing to see from the student body here."
According to The Globe and Mail, Queen's University principal Daniel Woolf has already released a statement regarding the party. The principal noted that the party was not sanctioned by the administration.
"We are taking the matter very seriously, and continue to look into it," he wrote. "If we determine that this was a Queen's sponsored or sanctioned event, we will take appropriate action. Any event that degrades, mocks or marginalizes a group or groups of people is completely unacceptable."
