UW: Man behind “abhorrent anti-Asian actions” no longer welcome at games

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The University of Wisconsin has banned from all athletic events an individual accused of “abhorrent anti-Asian activities” during Tuesday’s men’s basketball road game versus Northwestern.

In a tweet sent late Thursday morning, the university condemned the person’s actions and “applaud(ed)” Northwestern officials for kicking him out of Welsh-Ryan Arena. It also stated that the man will no longer be allowed to buy tickets for games from the university.

“He is no longer welcome at UW Athletics events,” UW declared.

In a joint statement between Chancellor Rebecca Blank and Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh, the two denounced the person’s actions and stated that racist behavior at their venues is “unacceptable and we will take action promptly to address it.” The two also said they were grateful to the fans who captured the video so they had record of the incident.

“We also want to acknowledge that hateful behavior like this still happens far too often, on and off campus – towards members of our Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American community as well as other marginalized communities. It inflicts pain and fear and causes students, staff and faculty to feel unwelcome and unsafe. Most of the time it is not captured on video and the perpetrators are not identified. In this case, we are grateful to the fans that documented and shared this incident.”

The man has been identified by the Northwestern and Wisconsin athletic departments, with both noting he is not a current UW-Madison student or employee. Officials did not name him.

He will be barred from purchasing tickets on the UW Athletics platform.

On Tuesday, the Badgers Athletics’ Twitter account issued its own rebuke of the actions shared in video apparently posted on TikTok, which was later captured and tweeted by Xavier Sanchez on his account.

“We are deeply disturbed by this behavior and find it abhorrent & disgusting,” the tweet read, in part. “This is no representation of what it means to be a Badger.” The athletics department went on to denounce racism or discrimination and also cheered Northwestern for throwing him out.

The video in question shows a man decked out in red making an obscene gesture and yelling at a group of Wildcat fans some of whom appeared to be Asian-American before grabbing the corners of eyes in a well-known racist gesture. It goes on to show Northwestern staff confront him and authorities escort him out of the building.

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