Radical New York college students aggressively protested a pro-free speech event by destroying a Bible in an effort to disrupt a speaker.
The Turning Point USA conservative campus speaker event was held this week and argued that free speech is being destroyed on college campuses.
The State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany students marched, chanted, danced, and even destroyed a Bible in an effort to shut down the seminar.
The free speech event was organized by a student group and headlined by conservative Ian Haworth.
“And like clockwork, some deranged protesters showed up and used the heckler’s veto to try and shut down the event,” Haworth wrote in a tweet.
Videos show the students storming the event in an attempt to shut it down.
WATCH:
🧵 Last night, I was at the University of Albany to speak with @TPUSA.
My argument: free speech is being destroyed on college campuses.
And like clockwork, some deranged protesters showed up and used the heckler’s veto to try and shut down the event. pic.twitter.com/NZdUgh2emm
— Ian Haworth (@ighaworth) April 5, 2023
Their chants ranged from “This is what free speech looks like” and “Trans rights are human rights” to “F–k you, fascists” and “Ian sucks.”
The smiling protesters formed a conga line that circled the small gathering, while some kicked off their shoes to dance in front of the podium where Haworth was due to speak.
Some were even seen munching on free pizza provided by TPUSA as they marched around the room.
SUNY Albany told The New York Post that the students remained peaceful throughout the entire demonstration. No one was injured, though one crumpled Bible was left in their wake.
Only two students were issued tickets by the university police because they tried to gain access to an area that was closed for the event.
The school ultimately offered the event — hosted by TPUSA and the College Republicans — to proceed in a separate room and allowed the students to continue protesting outside.
“If they had actually listened to my speech, they would have heard me talk honestly about freedom of speech and the First Amendment, including the notion that you are exposed to ideas you don’t like — which may even apply to the debated constitutionality of drag queen story hours!” Haworth wrote.
“But they didn’t want to listen, just like they didn’t want to research my views in advance.”
Haworth, who is Jewish, took offense at being labeled a member of the KKK and a transphobe despite recently calling for “compassion and empathy for the suffering of transgender people.”
Someone also destroyed a Bible for no reason whatsoever.@TPUSA pic.twitter.com/fcoKhAWUxm
— Ian Haworth (@ighaworth) April 5, 2023
The conservative speaker claims he has no issue with transgender people, but is concerned with “the ideology of transgenderism pushed by a woke mob hell-bent on re-writing even the most basic principles of civilization.”
Following the protest, Haworth admitted he “believes in biology and opposes genital mutilation being carried out on children” after a SUNY Albany student called him openly transphobic.
SUNY Albany told The Post that the school would protect its students’ right to protest.
“Consistent with the mission of an institution of higher learning, we expect members of our community to be able to voice their views in a manner that promotes constructive dialogue and honors UAlbany’s commitment to freedom of expression,” the university said.
“This is especially important when it involves speech that members of our community find offensive or objectionable.”
“Our constitutional obligation to protect speech, even when that speech fundamentally conflicts with our core values, is a pillar of our democratic system.
“We are equally committed to fostering an environment in which all students feel safe and included — and that the right to protest is also protected.”
The SUNY Albany demonstrations come just one day after Cornell University shot down a student assembly motion that would require trigger warnings for “traumatic” classroom lessons.
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