Columbia student filmed in racist rant claims he's 'not a white supremacist or a racist'

A white male student from Columbia University who went viral after being filmed delivering a 'white supremacist tirade' has claimed that he's not racist. Yep, you read that correctly.

Julian von Abele, a sophomore student studying physics, was filmed shouting racially-charged remarks at other students on Sunday outside the university's Butler Library at about 4am.

Speaking to the Daily Beast, he said his tirade was part of a 'part of a broader debate' about white privilege that 'does not show my true beliefs'.

Speaking to the Beast, he said:

I am not a white supremacist or racist, nor do I subscribe to any views that support that ideology. I unequivocally denounce all groups that support racism.

My reaction that evening grew out of my distaste for the overuse of the term ‘white privilege’ and similar divisive rhetoric as a means of dismissing views of others.

He added that his tirade was a plea for all races to appreciate their own accomplishments:

I believe that every single person should love themselves and love their culture, and we should all be allowed to be proud of our heritage.

As such, I would like to have my views be fairly considered in the public discourse, and not dismissed solely due to my race and gender.

In the viral rant, von Abele can be heard listing a number of arguments for white supremacy. After it was posted to Twitter, it went viral, and has had more than 17,000 retweets.

One Twitter user posted the footage with the caption:

Disappointed, but not surprised. Twitter, do your thing

In the viral rant, von Abele can be heard saying:

We invented science and industry and you want to tell us to stop because, ‘Oh my God, we’re so bad!'

We saved billions of people from starvation, we built modern civilization! White people are the best thing that ever happened to the world!

When another student asks him about the imperialist legacy of slavery, he continues on his rant unabated:

White people are the best thing ever.

I love myself and I love my people… F**k yeah! White people!

HT New York Post

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