The beastly assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at a Utah college event this week makes clear, once again, that conservative speakers are not safe on America’s campuses, and that something must be done to change that.
The Trump administration has tools in the shed to address this problem, but before we get to that, let’s look at just how bad things have gotten.
TOP CONSERVATIVE SPEAKERS VOW THEY ‘WILL NOT BE SILENCED’ AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION
The term « heckler’s veto » is a relative newcomer in the English language. It was coined in 1965 by University of Chicago law professor Harry Kalven, in his book, ‘The Negro and the First Amendment.’
Kalven was describing how government authorities would deny civil rights protesters the right to assemble because of threats made against them, and because of the costs associated with protecting them from those threats. Hence, the heckler gets to veto the event.
Fast-forward 60 years and the heckler’s veto is alive and well, but today it is not used to silence the left, but the right. And this week, it silenced Charlie Kirk forever, at the tender age of 31.
This is the heckler’s veto at gunpoint.
For years now, when conservatives like Kirk, Ben Shapiro or Jack Posobiec show up on college campuses, the threats against them are so severe that the college must incur the cost of security. And after this assassination, those costs will be even more untenable.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE REPUBLICANS CALL FOR SECURITY, ACCOUNTABILITY AFTER CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION
Meanwhile, terrorist members of the Weather Underground and supporters of cop killers like Mumia Abu Jamal regularly speak at our institutions of higher learning with little or no protest.
Today, all over the country, conservative student groups who want to invite speakers to their school face almost insurmountable challenges in arranging for protection.
Add to this, the fact that prominent conservative speakers themselves may now, quite understandably, choose not to take the risk of appearing at colleges, not out of cowardice, but out of common sense.
There are three ways that the Trump administration could act to ensure that conservative speakers and their audiences are safe when they appear at colleges. Let’s take each in turn.
First is hard power. Just as the government expended resources in the 1960s to protect the First Amendment rights of civil rights protesters, so too must it protect today’s conservative speakers, perhaps with the National Guard.
At least for some period of time, the government could offset the burden faced by colleges hosting conservatives, and quite possibly, restore the once-commonplace value that debate and ideological diversity are good things.
Second, now that it seems clear that Charlie Kirk’s assassin was inspired by Antifa, there must finally be a focus from law enforcement on breaking up the well-organized Antifa machine that terrorizes not just colleges, but whole cities like Portland and Seattle.
It was just a few years ago that outgoing Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., told the press that Antifa is a myth. To this day, there are mindless morons who drone on saying, « How can anti-fascism be bad? » even as masked criminals burn federal buildings.
Indeed, it was alleged fascism, dreamed up by Kirk’s foes, that his killer directly stated he was fighting with his cold-blooded and cowardly act.
Through the courageous reporting of journalists like Andy Ngo, we absolutely know that Antifa not only exists, but is a multi-state, even international, organization committed to using violence to achieve their far-left political goals. Just as the FBI worked to break up the Ku Klux Klan when it tried to intimidate and stop civil rights protests in the 1960s, today Antifa must be treated exactly the same way.
Finally, the Trump administration has wisely used the threat of cutting federal funding to colleges for their failure to combat antisemitism. A similar effort could be made to ensure that ideological diversity is protected in our universities.
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Such a measure could make clear that conservative students and campus organizations have recourse when their institution either refuses to allow them to hold events, or claims it is too expensive to do so.
Charlie Kirk knew the risks all too well, but notwithstanding that, he made himself a target, he sat in big, wide open quads and invited all comers, including the one who made him an American martyr.
Charlie’s sacrifice must not be in vain. It must be a clarion call to ensure that any student or speaker can engage in political discourse without fear of violence, or even death.
As it was as he lived, Charlie Kirk’s name should be synonymous with the protection of free speech.
The time to act is now, and with President Trump in the White House, the needed actions might actually be taken.
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Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-three-ways-trump-can-make-campuses-safe-conservative-speakers
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Publish date : 2025-09-13 10:56:00
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