Turning Point USA bans student chanting ‘white power’ in viral video

Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a conservative youth organization, removed a student from its chapter at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) on Friday after viral video depicted him chanting “white power.” 

TPUSA issued a statement saying the student seen in the clip was permanently removed from any current or future involvement with the organization.

“His comments were abhorrent, un-American and disqualifying,” TPUSA wrote. “We’d also like to commend the decisive action taken by the UNLV chapter leadership that acted quickly to remove the student from their chapter membership and involvement.”

{mosads}“As any large organization should, TPUSA has a zero-tolerance policy for hate, no matter the medium or how dated the act or comment, and we hold out tens of thousands of students to the highest of standards,” the statement concluded.

@TPUSA’s statement to the UNLV community: pic.twitter.com/Vl47JDLqms

— Turning Point USA (@TPUSA) May 10, 2019

The statement came after a video circulated on social media showing an unidentified man and woman sitting on a bed.

The two flash a symbol similar to the “OK” sign, a gesture that has become popular in recent years among far-right extremists and white supremacists who use it to make the letter shapes for “w” and “p,” which stand for “white power.” 

“We’re going to rule the country,” the woman says in the video. “White power. F— the n—–s.”

“White power,” the man sitting on the bed echoes.

The person filming the video flips off the camera before adding “f— them all.”

The video was circulated by left-wing website It’s Going Down and has been viewed more than 2.25 million times on Twitter as of Friday.

It is unclear which person seen in the video was a member of Turning Point USA’s chapter and if those in the clip attend UNLV.

The Hill has reached out to the university for comment.

UNLV issued a statement on Twitter that the person had been identified as a UNLV student.

“The abhorrent views and language expressed in the video are antithetical to the values of diversity and inclusion that we espouse at UNLV every day,” the statement said.

A video of an individual identified as a UNLV student has been widely shared on social media. The abhorrent views and language expressed in the video are antithetical to the values of diversity and inclusion that we espouse at UNLV every day.

— UNLV (@unlv) May 10, 2019

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk founded the organization in 2012 and describes it as a group to promote small-government ideas on college campuses. Kirk has also become close to President Trump. There are more than 300 chapters at more college campuses, according to its website.