Berkeley, Milo Yiannopoulos and the lessons of free speech
Recent events at the University of California, Berkeley reflect the enormous difficulties that campuses can face when trying to ensure freedom of speech while, at the same time, meeting their duty to ensure an inclusive learning environment and to protect everyone’s safety.
According to the university, the violent protesters were “150 masked agitators” who had come to campus to disturb an otherwise peaceful protest.
Perceiving a serious threat to public safety, campus officials called off Yiannopoulos’ talk, while also condemning the violence and reasserting their commitment to free speech principles.
[...] by law campuses must allow all views and ideas to be expressed, no matter how offensive.
[...] campuses must do all they can to ensure that audience reactions against a speaker are not allowed to silence the speaker.
[...] there may be situations where controlling the audience proves impossible and there is no choice but to prevent a speaker’s presence to ensure public safety.
The vast majority of the demonstrators were also merely exercising their free speech rights.
[...] the campus efforts were consistent with free speech principles.