OPINION:
Arrest them. Remove them. Expel them.
What we see happening on college campuses across the country is not about free speech. The destruction of property is not about free speech. Violence against others is not about free speech. Violations of the law are not about free speech.
There must be consequences for the disruptive, violent and illegal actions of radical students on college campuses. Law enforcement officers must arrest them. They must be removed from campus so law-abiding students can safely resume their education. College administrators must expel those who were warned yet continued to illegally occupy campus space and, in some cases, structures.
Cheers to the campus, municipal, county and state law enforcement officers who are arresting those who are violating the law. Cheers to the fraternity members who help protect the American flag. Cheers to the Jewish students who would not be deterred by the mobs.
Cheers, too, to the few campus administrators who took aggressive action against the nonsense. The first to come to mind are from the University of Florida. A statement from the school’s Division of Student Life said that the following were allowable activities: “Speech — Expressing viewpoints — Holding signs in hands.” This seems reasonable to me.
The university’s memo went on to say that the following were prohibited items and activities: “No amplified sound — no demonstrations inside buildings — no littering — no camping — no sleeping — no unmanned signs — no blocking egress — no building structures — no camping (including tents, sleeping bags, etc.) — no disruption — no threats — no violence — no weapons, etc.” It seems like the grown-ups are in charge of this institution.
Real consequences should come from violating the policies as they said that they would ban anyone who was arrested from campus for three years and suspend any students. Employees and professors who were arrested should be fired. As arrests were made this week, the university administration released a statement saying: “The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children. They knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they’ll face the consequences.”
As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said: “You have a right to support or not support Israel. That’s the First Amendment. You don’t have a right to pitch a tent in the middle of campus and commandeer some of the property.”
While Florida officials led the way, others started to wise up. Arrests were made on Wednesday at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Earlier in the week, I called attention to the fact that state law prohibits unauthorized camping on campus property. After extensive pressure, the police came in and took the occupiers away while tearing down the tents.
At the same time, students and staff with Young America’s Foundation traveled to Columbia University, Harvard University and other campuses to put up American and Israeli flags to draw attention to the hostages taken by Hamas last Oct. 7. Sadly, the plight of those violently taken more than six months ago has been largely forgotten by most corporate media outlets.
In addition, the media elites have created a false narrative that suggests that college students overwhelmingly side with Hamas. A new Harvard CAPS-Harris poll shows that 80% of registered voters support Israel in the war, while 20% side with Hamas.
While older voters are more likely to support Israel than younger respondents, it is interesting to note that 57% of voters 18 to 24 support Israel over Hamas. This is a clear sign that the views of younger people overall are not aligned with those of the radicals on campus.
We’ve seen this for years with our work at Young America’s Foundation. We provide more campus lectures than any other conservative organization, yet college administrators and student government officers consistently try to block our speakers from appearing on campus.
Ironically, our students take the time to become officially recognized organizations on campus, fill out the required paperwork, reserve auditoriums or gymnasiums, and follow other requirements. Yet they are the ones who are routinely given pushback.
In contrast, many administrators are neutral or even supportive of the radical organizers in the encampments even though they are clearly violating university rules and state law. As the saying goes, if it were not for double standards, the left would have no standards at all.
At the University of California, Los Angeles, our students filed the necessary paperwork to bring Robert Spencer, founder and director of Jihad Watch, to campus for a lecture. Our UCLA chair was told their event might not happen unless the encampments on campus are gone.
Even worse, the same radicals who support terrorists are now blocking Jewish students from setting foot on campus. This is just as bad as the racists who once sought to block Black children from attending school in the 1960s.
This is not about free speech. What so many radicals are doing is against the law. Arrest them, remove them and expel them. There must be consequences for these illegal acts.
• Scott Walker is president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin.
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