SALEM, Mass. (WHDH/AP) — A Massachusetts college says it’s investigating after its Twitter account was hacked and filled with tweets containing racist language.
Campus police say the account of Salem State University was hacked Friday. The tweets reportedly included attacks on immigrants, criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement and praise for Republican President Donald Trump. They were deleted early Saturday.
The school tweeted an apology.
Salem State President Patricia Meservey said in an email that the posts don’t reflect the school’s viewpoints.
A spokeswoman says the school is trying to find out what happened, who was responsible and what security measures can be taken in the future.
The hack happened ahead of the school’s commencement, which is set to take place Saturday.
The college issued the following statement on the incident:
“We are appalled by the hateful nature of these tweets, which in no way represent the views of Salem State University. We have notified our social media followers of this compromise and are working with IT to implement additional security safeguards. It is incredibly unfortunate that such a hateful incident occurred on the eve of our commencement, and we hope to move forward as a community and not let it detract attention from the incredible accomplishments of more than 1,400 students graduating today.”
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