Wagga Wagga Uni Students Dressed Up In Blackface And KKK Uniforms For An Exam Time Party

Students have dressed up in blackface, KKK outfits, and concentration camp uniforms for a “politically incorrect” party in NSW rural centre Wagga Wagga.

According to a screenshot of the Facebook event description, the party called upon students to “grab a kit that would legally get you in the shit and hook right in.”

The party was hosted at the Black Swan Hotel, in north Wagga Wagga.

In a statement, the hotel denied any involvement with the event.

“The pub was made aware of an incident unbeknownst to staff,” the statement, which has since been deleted from Facebook, read. “We were unaware of this behaviour happening out the back of the pub, however we have immediately dealt with this.”

“We have zero tolerance and do not condone this sort of behaviour.”

In one photo from the party, five people are dressed in KKK uniforms, and one other has painted his body black and holds a bowl of cotton balls.

“Very very politically incorrect,” the post reads. “Cotton prices are unreal though so it’s a great time to be pickin'”.

Junkee has asked Black Swan Hotel for further information, and are yet to receive a response.

A large number of one star reviews of the hotel have been posted in the hours since the party was held.

“Doesn’t even deserve 1 star,” one user wrote. “Accepting a ‘politically incorrect’ party with a bunch of people dressed up as the KKK and one painted skin in black with a basket of cotton is beyond pathetic.”

Another wrote:

“Do you really expect anyone to believe that not one of your staff or security noticed six men in KKK costumes and one man in blackface on the premises?”

But many locals came to the defence of the hotel.

“The pub has multiple entries, and the function was out the back, of which that has three public open entries,” one local, who said he witnessed the party, wrote.

“Patrons of the UNI were there for some time and NO they were not all in costumes but normal clothes. The function was private and patrons could come and go from the rear without going through the bar.”

In a statement, Charles Sturt University Vice-Chancellor Andrew Vannsaid said the university was investigating the situation.

“Charles Sturt University will not tolerate this offensive behaviour. It does not reflect our university values and we strongly condemn these actions,” the statement read. “CSU is currently investigating these incidents and social media posts.”

This is hardly Australia’s first run-in with blackface. At the end of last year, Brisbane partygoers were roundly criticised for posting photos of themselves in blackface; in 2016, Opals player Alice Kunek was slammed on social media after she dressed in blackface at a party, and was swiftly called out by her teammate Liz Cambage.

Chris Lilley, meanwhile, has just been given a new TV show.