UBC removes hateful anti-Russian comments on engineering "E"

UBC has removed comments reading, “Russians Go Home” and “F*ck Putin” from the engineering “E” on campus.

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The cairn had been painted blue and yellow — the same colours as the Ukrainian flag, and one of the messages read, “Glory to Ukraine.”

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“Glory to Ukraine”/Submitted

In a statement, UBC says the “E” is often a place where people paint their views without the consent of UBC.

“The cairn is overseen by the Engineering Undergraduate Society which works with UBC to paint over messages when they are offensive or profane. We’re not aware of who painted the messages regarding Russia this weekend, but UBC crews have removed all hate speech and explicit content. One section that said “Russians go home” prompted complaints from some individuals in our community who felt it was directed against Russians in Canada. A second statement which contained explicit language has also been removed.”

UBC has released an official statement on the invasion of Ukraine, outlining guidelines for students.

International students in need of support are encouraged to contact International Student Advising at [email protected].

Staff at Student Health Services are also available to help, as are multilingual counsellors available 24/7 through the UBC Student Assistance Program. 

On Monday, Ottawa announced Canada will be supplying even more military aid to Ukraine, including 100 Carl Gustaf anti-tank weapon systems and 2,000 rockets.