By: Joshua Ceballos/News Director
After the release of screenshots of a group chat containing racist and sexist jokes, members of FIU’s chapter of Turning Point USA have been confronted by a left-wing group on campus.
Driena Sixto, regional manager for Turning Point and FIU alumna, sent an email to members of University faculty and to Student Media in which she attached a video of Andy Vila, chapter president of Young Democratic Socialists of America, approaching Turning Point’s table and asking them about their group chats.
In the video, Vila made a comment about violent action towards capitalists.
“I want an armed revolution, and I want the capitalists to get their heads cut off,” said Vila in the video.
Vila told Student Media that this comment was a joke.
“That was meant as an exaggeration which I immediately made clear,” said Vila to Student Media. “I would never support violence of any kind… the comments made were an obvious joke.”
Vila provided a video to Student Media of the same confrontation, in which he says that violence should never be tolerated in a free society. It is unclear if this was before or after his comments about capitalists.
Vila said that he has followed and confronted Turning Point Chapter President Andrew Pis to get him to talk about the group chat and to hold him accountable for allowing his members to make inappropriate jokes.
The University has released a general statement about its values after the news of the Turning Point issue.
“At FIU, we pride ourselves on being a forum for the free exchange of ideas. We also value tolerance and respect for diversity. Inclusion and civility are important to our university community,” read the statement.
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