As Aleister pointed out this morning, you don’t have to like or care about a speaker to be concerned about the willingness to shut down speech deemed “offensive.”
Co-founder of Vice media Gavin McInnes was speaking to a College Republican club at NYU Thursday night when protesters stormed the lecture hall.
The New York Post reports:
McInnes, who left Vice in 2008, had been scheduled to talk to the NYU College Republicans at 7 p.m., and was later spotted on Periscope live video speaking at the podium and shouting at protesters, who managed to make it inside the venue.“Whose campus? Our campus!” demonstrators yelled as McInnes attempted to speak.“Shame! Shame! Shame!” the crowd added.“Why are you repeating the same nonsense over and over?” McInnes asked at one point, before riling up the protesters even more.After a few more minutes of back-and-forth, the controversial comedian appeared to end his speech early — telling an NYU spokesperson, “You’re a dumb liberal asshole” and “You think these are rational beings” — before storming away, NYU Local reports.“Gavin has left the podium, doesn’t intend to come back,” the news source tweeted. “Leaves with aforementioned scathing remark to University spokesman.”McInnes almost didn’t even make it inside on Thursday night, on account of the “antifa” protesters rushing him at the entrance, according to Gizmodo reporter Anna Merlan.“Cops shoved them back, took a guy to the ground,” she tweeted. “Guy in a MAGA hat threw a punch.”As McInnes entered, the unruly crowd chanted things like, “Nazi scum, your time has come,” while also lighting “Make America Great Again” hats on fire.
Eleven people were arrested.
A scene from the protest:
I cannot stand anything anyone connected to the alt-right has to say, but that’s no reason to condone squelching of their speech. There is nothing wrong with peaceful protest (see also: March for Life), but as it’s been said repeatedly, this is why Trump won — people are sick of a small minority imposing ideological homogenization through less than kind means.
Follow Kemberlee on Twitter @kemberleekaye
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