Students Targeted by Bo French Condemn Posts as ‘Blatant Racism’ and ‘Hurtful’

UT students targeted by Bo French’s social media posts said the experience was jarring and hurtful, calling it “blatant racism.”

French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, uploaded a series of posts on X on Sunday targeting a diverse group of students cheering for the Longhorns after their Saturday win over Ohio State at a Texas football game.

French shared a photo of a group of UT students, predominantly of South Asian descent, and wrote, “I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.”

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On a conservative talk radio show Monday morning, French defended his post as a commentary on H-1B visas, which allow employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. French said H-1B visas allow those employees’ children to be defined as residents and receive in-state tuition.

One of the students featured in the photo was Dhairya Gupta, a senior computer science major who had his hands up making the Hook ‘em sign.

“When we woke up in the morning, that’s when I had a few texts from a few friends, and they’re like, ‘check Twitter,’” Gupta said in an interview with The Daily Texan. “The right word that I’ve been using to describe it has been jarring.”

Gupta is an immigrant from India who moved to the U.S. when he was about 5 years old and gained citizenship during his childhood, he told The Dallas Morning News.

Senior Zaina Jafri, a South Asian student, told The Daily Texan the comments from a candidate for office were hurtful.

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UT sophomore Lisa Varghese, who sat in the same section as Gupta and Moyeen, expressed shock at the ignorance displayed on social media following French’s post. She told The Texas Tribune that French was using skin color and “blatant racism” to divide people.

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