Alumni criticize university's response to Obama costume featuring noose
By Peter Coutu | Oct. 29, 2016A President Barack Obama costume including a noose worn at the Saturday Badger football game sparked outrage on social media from alumni and students, including critiques of the UW-Madison official’s defense of free speech. The university quickly issued a statement on the costume, labelling it as offensive while still defending the individual’s right to wear a mask of the president with a noose around their neck. “The costume, while repugnant and counter to the values of the university and Athletic Department, was an exercise of the individual’s right to free speech,” read a statement from the university. A person at the game tweeted out a picture of the costume, which quickly spread through social media, sparking a debate about the line between free speech and offensive imagery.
