ANN ARBOR, MI – At 3:30am on November 9th, less than an hour after Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States, University of Michigan students took to the Diag and the Undergraduate Library to voice their grievances. Some students carried candles while others’ protests were less peaceful.
Watch: Students Protest at University of Michigan
(Video produced by Sara Otto.)
Students on the Diag early Wednesday morning appeared visibly distressed, comforting one another with kind words or simply embracing each other in silence. The environment was generally supportive, however, some students created a greater disturbance.
According to the librarian, the students entered the library known as the UGLi at around 3:40am yelling profanities and disturbing the students studying there. The students left the premises at the librarian’s request after parading around the library swearing at the librarian and the other students studying.
Another student attending the vigil held on the Diag immediately after the election results were announced mentioned that other students at the vigil had been planning to rip down the American flag on the Diag and burn it in order to make their point.
Justin Korfhage, a sophomore at the University, spoke about this morning’s events, “There are people who wanted to rip down flags and it’s really accomplishing nothing. You can state your opinion and you can protest, but at the end of the day, burning an American flag is nothing but inflammatory and almost any citizen should be able to acknowledge that.”
According to a police officer on duty, as the protestors were leaving the Diag, one of them jumped in front of his patrol car, and when the police officer proceeded to approach the student, the student continued to yell and swear at the officer.
It is expected that protests will continue here at the University and other college campuses throughout the country as students react to Trump’s unexpected win definitively announced early this morning.
