Vandalism of pro-Trump mural offers free-speech lesson at University of Minnesota

A painting depicting one of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign slogans — “Build the Wall” — and a symbolic brick wall have created a firestorm on the University of Minnesota campus, offering students yet another lesson in freedom of speech.

The mural by the Minnesota College Republicans — and its subsequent defacement — remained a frequent conversation topic Tuesday as pedestrians crossed the Washington Avenue Bridge, which connects the east and west banks of the Twin Cities campus. Now, amid hundreds of colorful panels promoting student organizations painted Friday during the school’s annual Paint the Bridge event, the previous work is almost entirely obscured by “Stop White Supremacy” in large gold letters.

Some students denounced the pro-Trump panels as hate speech, saying it targeted minorities and immigrants. That sentiment sparked a rally on the bridge Saturday, where signs plastered the wall with messages of love and images of Gandhi. A fraternity amended their adjacent panel to include “build bridges not walls.”

http://www.startribune.com/vandalism-of-pro-trump-mural-offers-free-speech-lesson-at-university-of-minnesota/395902471/