Is a Public University Really Limiting Freedom of Speech?

University of California, Berkeley has a long history of protests, some of which have turned violent.  Recently, a violent protest occurred when right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was set to speak. That night, there were over 1,500 student protesters at the steps of Sproul Hall, which is an administration building on campus. A minority of the protesters turned violent, setting items on fire, throwing rocks at the police, and damaging property, all because of anger that Milo Yiannopoulos was planning to speak at the University. His speech was cancelled do to safety concerns.

Ann Coulter, a conservative commentator, was planning to speak at University of California, Berkeley on April 26. Her speech was cancelled due to security concerns that violence would repeat on campus. After the media began to criticize University of Berkeley’s decision as violating free speech, the Chancellor of the University offered Ann Coulter an undisclosed location on May 2 to speak. That is a time where there are no classes in session and students are studying for finals. Ms. Coulter and the student-sponsor group, Young America’s Foundation, rejected the offer. Those who were planning to protest the event were ecstatic that Ms. Coulter would not be speaking at the campus.

A number of people have spoken out against UC Berkeley’s attempt to limit free speech. Even though Bernie Sanders finds Ann Coulter outrageous, he believes that “people have a right to give their two cents worth, give a speech, without fear of violence and intimidation.” Elizabeth Warren also echoed Bernie’s sentiments.

Universities, especially public ones, need to stop limiting differing viewpoints and allow free speech on campus. That will expose students to different perspectives.  When students interrupt speakers and provoke violence, it creates a hostile environment for students who want to attend the event. Students need to learn to be more tolerant of each other. This does not mean that students should be tolerant of hate speech, though. This is one of the reasons that The Outlook was created. I wanted a platform for people of different political affiliations to read, write, and gain exposure. Blocking people the right to speak at a university is a violation of a university’s philosophy of learning diverse viewpoints and free speech.  I find the act of cancelling Ann Coulter’s speech hypocritical and indefensible. UC Berkeley should provide the security necessary to allow the speech to occur.  Otherwise, it is rewarding those who want to suppress any speech that is different from their own.