New York Post

MAGA cap feud roiling Fordham

- Jennifer Bain and Mary Kay Linge

A social-justice warrior booted her fellow Fordham University students from a Bronx campus coffee shop because their pro-Trump “Make America Great Again” hats violated its “safe space” policy.

“It was absolutely insane,” Fordham junior Aaron Spring, 20, told The Post of the incident Thursday. “We weren’t even talking politics — we were talking about finals.”

A video of the encounter appeared Friday on the conservati­ve CampusRefo­rm Web site.

Students wearing Trump’s trademark MAGA ball caps were accosted by a student worker at Rodrigue’s Coffee House, which is run by volunteers and is organized as a club.

“Get out! Five minutes,” the worker barked. “I’m protecting our customers . . . you are wearing hats that completely violate safe-space policy.”

She exploded when Michael Esposito, 19, asked her to explain.

“Fascism, Nazis!” shouted the worker. “You have three minutes.”

“I do not see fascism, Nazis on this hat,” Esposito answered. “I see America.”

“It was humiliatin­g to be called a Nazi in front of so many people I go to school with,” Esposito told The Post. “It’s almost scary.”

The students said they were not seeking trouble.

“It’s not like we’re here reading off a manifesto,” said Sebastian Balasov, 21.

The cafe has a lengthy set of “safer space” rules. including “Do not make assumption­s about someone’s gender, sexuality, race, class or experience­s” and “No racism — No sexism — No homophobia.”

The rules do not mention headgear.

“They try to say that all are welcome,” Spring said. “But if you talk about diversity, that has to include diversity of thought and opinion, too.”

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