Campus Protest Hypocrisy Reveals Need For Student Education on Free Speech
With the start of the academic year, campuses across the nation are preparing for more protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict. As students return to campus, the underlying issues that ignited these demonstrations—misunderstandings and misapplications of free speech—remain unaddressed. These protests have revealed a pressing challenge for universities: upholding the principles of free speech amid modern political activism.
While many protests last semester were peaceful, others have disrupted campus operations, led to altercations and vandalism, and made some students feel unsafe on campus. The actions of some students, coupled with the reactions of some administrators, highlight a troubling lack of understanding of free speech principles. Preserving a campus environment that encourages the contestation of ideas, allows dissent, and enables scientific discovery requires a steadfast commitment to free speech principles from administrators and students.Â
The Sheila and Robert Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth’s most recent survey of college students nationwide includes important insights on the state of free speech on campus. An encouraging 89 percent of respondents say that students have a right to engage in peaceful protests related to the Israel-Hamas war. However, many students confuse free speech with illiberal actions that undermine it. About 40 percent of students support occupying buildings or staging “die-ins” to prevent normal activities from occurring on campus, 27 percent think students have the right to disrupt class to protest, and 20 percent believe it is okay to shout down a campus speaker addressing the Israel-Hamas war. While these actions may be seen as forms of protest, they hinder the free exchange of ideas and limit the ability of others to express their viewpoints.
This misunderstanding is most pronounced by students who identify as politically liberal and who most likely claim to support free speech (93 percent of respondents do) in the context of the Israel-Hamas war. However, politically liberal students also show the highest acceptance of anti-free speech actions. Among these students, 55 percent think it is OK to disrupt campus by occupying buildings, 37 percent think it
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