Sorority Apologizes for Starting Shooting Scare with Balloons During Vigil for New Zealand Mosque Victims
A University of Michigan sorority has apologized for accidentally creating a scare during a vigil for those killed during the Christchurch mosque massacre.
The University of Michigan's chapter of alpha Kappa Delta Phi held "team-building activities" that included popping balloons at the same time a vigil was taking place nearby.
The sorority activities, which were held on March 16, prompted fears of a shooter and calls to police, who responded.
"We are truly sorry to everyone who feared for their lives and had to experience the traumatic events of that day, especially to our fellow Muslim students and all those who were present at the New Zealand Mosques Solidarity Vigil. It is unacceptable to merely pass off our actions as a poorly timed coincidence. To do so would be to ignore the politically-charged atmosphere that day and the many serious events on campus that preceded the false alarm," read a letter from the sorority published in The Michigan Daily, the university's student newspaper. "Failure to acknowledge these circumstances would only further enable us to benefit from the privilege that comes with a lack of understanding about the real dangers and fears that many of our fellow peers, students of color and Muslim students live with on a day to day basis."
The note continued to say "we take this event as a stark realization that we need to further educate ourselves about Islamophobia, white supremacy and what it means to use our position as A/PIA students to participate in more meaningful coalition building on campus."
One commenter wrote that the apology should have extended to the broader community.
"You scared the University Staff, Faculty, Ann Arbor residents, and the residents of Michigan in general. The University community is comprised of more than just students," Diane Giannola wrote.
The sorority did not immediately respond when asked by Newsweek if its members had directly reached out to Muslim groups on campus. The sorority also did not elaborate on the nature of the balloon-popping event.
"We tend to refrain from interviewing for news articles," the Muslim Students' Association at the University of Michigan told Newsweek when reached for comment.
More than 20 people called the police to say multiple shots were fired, and the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety & Security sent out an emergency alert to "run hide fight," the Detroit Free Press reported.
ATF and FBI agents arrived on campus. Police officers carrying rifles escorted students into the library, the outlet reported. Officers searched the campus room by room before finding no shooter.
