JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

MSU’s best little hate house in town

By Jacob Berkman · February 7, 2008

The Intelligence Report, the publication of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which covers all things racist all the time, has a fascinating article on Michigan State University's Young Americans for Freedom club. According to the SPLC, it is the country's only university sanctioned student group that is also listed as a hate group.

The MSU-YAF was reportedly simply a fairly right-wing conservative group, until MSU junior Kyle Bristow became its chairman in 2006.

Since then Bristow, according to the Intelligence Report, has pushed it over the racist edge.

In November 2006, the group held a "Straight Power" demonstration in Lansing to protest proposed local legislation to protect gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Protesters carried signs reading "End Faggotry" and "Go Back in the Closet," according to the IR.

The group has also held such patriotic events as "Catch an illegal immigrant day" and a "Koran Desecration" competition.

Here's the kicker: Bristow and other group members like to wear black cowboy hats, which means if you're at MSU's campus and looking for MSU's Chabad rabbi, you might go terribly, terribly wrong.