The University of Michigan drew heavy criticism this week when they announced that they were canceling a screening of the Clint Eastwood/Bradley Cooper film, American Sniper, following protests by students who deemed the film anti-Muslim.
"The movie 'American Sniper’ not only tolerates but promotes anti-Muslim and anti-MENA [Muslim, Middle Eastern and North African] rhetoric and sympathizes with a mass killer," read a letter signed by 300 students, via Fox News. "Chris Kyle was a racist who took a disturbing stance on murdering Iraqi civilians."
However, the school's decision to cancel the film was met with even more backlash than the original decision to show it. As such, they reversed course and decided to screen the film as planned.
"The initial decision to cancel the movie was not consistent with the high value the University of Michigan places on freedom of expression and our respect for the right of students to make their own choices in such matters," said E. Royster Harper, UM's VP for Student Life.
One notable University of Michigan authority figure, however, was never on the fence about showing American Sniper. Head football coach Jim Harbaugh took to Twitter on Wednesday to let followers know that he and the rest of his Wolverines program was going to be watching the film, and anybody who had a problem with that could just talk to the hand.
Michigan Football will watch "American Sniper"! Proud of Chris Kyle & Proud to be an American & if that offends anybody then so be it!
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) April 9, 2015
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