Yale Defends Students Who Tried To Fight A Conservative For Debating
Yale sided with law school students that threatened a guest speaker at a freedom of speech panel.
After having to call in school police as students turned into an angry mob, Yale Law School will not punish students who threatened a conservative speaker. On Thursday March 10th, Kriston Waggoner came to sit on a panel at Yale to discuss freedom of speech. She is a Christian lawyer who agreed to sit with an atheist on the premise that freedom of speech allows healthy debate so individuals with opposing viewpoints can find common ground. What was meant to be an event focusing on first amendment rights, quickly devolved into students shouting at the professor mediating, as well as threatening to physically assault Waggoner.
One student is clearly heard in the commotion shouting, “I’ll fight you b*tch!” Instead of reprimanding any of the students involved for their behavior, the college released a statement defending the fact that the students dispersed after the police were called in, so the issue was resolved. This may be in the name of the intended message of the debate, that freedom of speech is a healthy constitutional right. Unfortunately, what Yale school officials seem to overlook is the fact that freedom of speech does not protect one’s ability to threaten another. Once a person crosses that line, they are committing an act of harassment, which is a serious crime that is punishable by law.
Allowing students to continue to threaten others based on simple discussions is a liability. One that isn’t likely to go away if the behavior is not punished. Being that the Yale institute was a law school in particular, the Dean, Heather Gerkin may want to consider the fact that Kriston Waggon is in a position to seek legal action. But based on Yale’s previous history of supporting biased politics, it is unlikely.
Back in September of 2018, professors at Yale Law School canceled or rescheduled classes to allow students to actively protest the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. 49 faculty members signed an open letter asking the Senate Judiciary Committee to delay the hearings and add yet another investigation for a candidate who had already passed the legally required background checks.
These professors had no regard for legal protocol or due process and encouraged students in their false belief that Kavanaugh was a rapist. Instead of holding classes as usual to quell anger and remind students that they were young adults with responsibilities and obligations to uphold, the school picked a side due to political bias. This bias has been apparent for some time, but it exploded during the panel in question.
Now, Federal Appeals Court Judge, Larry Silberman, has warned other judges to avoid working with these sorts of students. His statement even suggested that students who engage in these threatening mob activities should be “disqualified for potential clerkships.” This comes at a tipping point where many political officials have encouraged violence in the name of “justice.” By excusing physical threats of violence, Yale is fanning the flames of division and perpetuating further incidents.
By defending students who become so threatening that police are needed to avoid a riot, parents and conservative students may question whether or not Yale Law School is a place fit to learn about law & order. When a discussion of freedom of speech turns into a verbal assault containing threats of violence, students are no longer voicing opinions but are committing harassment. Without reprimand, the likelihood that students will act on such threats goes up, and that is a major concern for everyone.
