102 Chapter 4Chapter 4 || Civil LibertiesCivil Liberties4
The constitutional protection for speech is clear and strong: “Congress shall
make no law... abridging the freedom of speech.” However, recent protests against
controversial speakers booked to speak on college campuses are calling into question
the scope of those protections. Must college campuses allow talks by right-wing
provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos, who has said child sexual abuse “really is not that big
of a deal,” or white nationalist Richard Spencer, who has called for a white ethno-state?^1
Must they embrace conservative speakers like political commentator Ann Coulter and
economist Charles Murray? All of these speakers met strong and sometimes violent
protests at campuses around the country.^2 A CNN headline described the situation as
“War on Campus.”^3 A speech by Richard Spencer at the University of Florida caused
Governor Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency, and the university had to spend
nearly $600,000 to provide security for the event. Despite these efforts, three men
shouting “Heil Hitler” fired a shot at students demonstrating against Spencer’s speech
(but nobody was hurt).^4
Many are calling for limits on the kind of hate speech that some claim speakers like
Yiannopoulos and Spencer promote and for the creation of “safe spaces” on campus
where students would be protected from hurtful speech within a broader effort to
promote social justice. Others see such efforts as “political correctness” run amok and
are concerned that free speech is under attack as conservative speakers are prevented
from talking. Attorney General Jeff Sessions summarized this view, saying, “A national
recommitment to free speech on campus and to ensuring First Amendment rights
is long overdue. Protesters are now routinely shutting down speeches and debates
across the country in an effort to silence voices that insufficiently conform with their
views.”^5 While strongly disagreeing with the conservative speakers’ views, President
Obama weighed in on this issue largely on the free speech side, saying college students
shouldn’t be “coddled and protected from different points of view.”^6 The left-leaning
American Civil Liberties Union has also defended free speech on campus, arguing,
“Speech that deeply offends our morality or is hostile to our way of life warrants the“Feel free to disagree with somebody, but don’t try to shut them up.”
President Barack Obama“If I were president of a university and I had some hate speech person
coming, I wouldn’t let them come. I just wouldn’t.”
John Kasich, Ohio governorShould controversial figures like
Milo Yiannopoulos, seen here on the
University of California, Berkeley,
campus, be allowed to speak on
public college campuses in the face
of popular opposition to their views?
In February 2017, Berkeley students
organized protests in response to a
planned appearance by Yiannopoulos,
and his speech was canceled.Civil Liberties
It’s a free country... right?
Full_05_APT_64431_ch04_102-147.indd 102 16/11/18 1:27 PM