Down with Nazism, Zionism, Hindutva? CMU's Fence briefly said so on commencement weekend

A message that included references to nationalist philosophies of Nazism, Zionism and Hindutva was placed on The Fence during graduation weekend at Carnegie Mellon University.

It is unclear who placed the message, but it spurred a few people to make social media posts.

“The Fence has long served as a medium of student expression and is a physical manifestation of our commitment to upholding and exercising free speech on our campus,” said CMU spokeswoman Cassia Crogan. “Even so, the message displayed was deeply disappointing and upsetting.”

A group of students replaced the message with another one supportive of 2025 graduates, Crogan said.

“Carnegie Mellon University remains committed to building bridges of understanding so that all students learn how their words and actions affect others and how we can work together to foster an inclusive community,” she said.

The Fence has been painted with a wide array of messages in more than 100 years on the CMU campus.

???????? Deepavali wishes from the Fence on @CarnegieMellon Pittsburgh campus! Thanks to The Mayur South Asian Student Association for painting ???? ???? it for #Diwali2024 & Mimi for sharing it with the CMU alumni community in India. #CMUPride #TartanPride #ProudCMUAlum #Nostalgia pic.twitter.com/7rHHtsNQ4Z

— Ponnurangam Kumaraguru “PK” (@ponguru) November 2, 2024

The Fence at CMU commemorated 30 years since Tiananmen Square today via /r/pittsburgh https://t.co/DIJWMYYsOy

— reddit /r/pittsburgh (@RedditPgh) June 5, 2019

Know the #interesting history behind the fence in middle of Carnegie Mellon's Pittsburgh campus: http://t.co/8UdpNLmW pic.twitter.com/iAIE9GXU

— SNU - CMU (@CMU_SNU) January 1, 2013