The school changed course again Wednesday night and announced that “American Sniper” will be shown at the originally scheduled time and location. The university also will show an alternative movie, “Paddington,” at the same time.
“It was a mistake to cancel the showing of the movie ‘American Sniper’ on campus as part of a social event for students,” E. Royster Harper, vice president of student life, said in a statement late Wednesday. “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.”
Sophomore Lamees Mekkaoui started a petition Tuesday after learning that a showing of the film was planned for Friday. Mekkaoui told The Michigan Daily she identifies as Arab and Middle Eastern and feels the film “condones a lot of anti-Middle Eastern and North African propaganda.”
The conservative campus group Young Americans for Freedom, however, urged the Ann Arbor school to show the film. Grant Strobl, the group’s chairman, was excited to hear the movie would be shown after all.
“Thank you to all of the students and alumni that signed our petition and Coach Harbaugh for showing support for the movie screening. The movie is now being played: democracy, free expression, and common sense have prevailed,” Strobl said in a statement.
“American Sniper,” directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper, is based on the autobiography of Navy Seal Chris Kyle.
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