Hammond wrote that she did not want to cause further distress to either side of the argument: those who think the flag represents a 'divisive, political agenda' or those who see it as 'a symbol of inclusion and welcome'. 'This only aggravates the situation and has the potential to cause additional distress.' 'While I believe the symbol is divisive, and the University does not support all that has come to be associated with the Rainbow flag, the University does not condone the sticker being deliberately taken down in the way that it was,' she wrote in the email, a copy of which was supplied by the university to BuzzFeed News.
Following the stickers being torn down a second time last week, vice chancellor Celia Hammond wrote an email to Gojak saying that the university does not endorse the rainbow flag but also disapproves of the way the NDSA stickers were torn down.
