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[ant_]

An op-ed from Chancellor Dirks of UC Berkeley.

http://www.dailycal.org/2017/02/10/not-condone-violence-suppress-free-speech/

In a letter to the UC Berkeley community a week before Milo Yiannopoulos’ visit, I made clear that both our campus’s iconic commitment to free speech, as well as definitive First Amendment rulings by the Supreme Court, meant that we were obliged to support the invitation by a legitimate student organization of the speaker to campus. Those who suggest there was a legal path to cancellation of the event are mistaken. I also made clear that we recognized the equal right of members of the community to assemble lawfully and to protest the speaker and his views, consistent with another iconic identity of this campus around our history of protest.
....

Read the entire op-ed, please

 

[OniBarubary]

Nah, I'm good.

 

[DopeyFish]

No. Hate speech must be targeted. Hate speech helps suppress the freedom of others.

 

[tuxfool]

Nah, I'm good.

One and done. Some people have frittered away the right to be heard.

 

[hughesta]

You can say whatever the fuck you want but if you're spreading hate speech I'm gonna fight you

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

 

[fauxtrot]

Isn't this the same school that has a history of silencing Palestinian voices on campus and equates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism? If I'm remembering correctly, I don't think they have any right to claim they have had an "iconic commitment to free speech".

 

[adamy]

It's true, the reactions to Milo's attendance were utterly disgusting and embarrassing. Goes against everything the free speech movement stands for which Berkeley started

 

[capitalCORN]

Isn't this the same school that has a history of silencing Palestinian voices on campus and equates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism? If I'm remembering correctly, I don't think they have any right to call themselves protectors of free speech.

Well then, one and dusted.

 

[MechanicalWall]

It's true, the reactions to Milo's attendance were utterly disgusting and embarrassing. Goes against everything the free speech movement stands for which Berkeley started

The First Amendment doesn't mean you don't get to be challenged. It doesn't mean you get a stage to spew your bullshit.

 

[BoosterDuck]

Can I condone violence to suppress Nazis like America did in the 40's?

It's true, the reactions to Milo's attendance were utterly disgusting and embarrassing. Goes against everything the free speech movement stands for which Berkeley started

Protesting goes against everything the free speech movement stands for?

 

[Imm0rt4l]

Nah, I'm good.

.

 

[adamy]

The First Amendment doesn't mean you don't get to be challenged. It doesn't mean you get a stage to spew your bullshit.

Not sure if you know what the free speech movement is

Also, the first amendment does not condone violence

Nothing in your post makes sense

 

[Gordon Shumway]

lol..Too good.

 

[Oersted]

Do not speak to incite violence

 

[G.O.O.]

Invite some guy from ISIS and try the free speech argument again.

 

[Generalpsyduck]

Nah

 

[Already Torn]

Not sure if you know what the free speech movement is

Also the first amendment does not condone violence

Nothing in your post makes sense

Sounds stupid

 

[Got]

Nah, I'm good.

first post nails it.

 

[Fantastapotamus]

Nah

 

[SirClinksAlot]

Isn't this the same school that has a history of silencing Palestinian voices on campus and equates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism? If I'm remembering correctly, I don't think they have any right to claim they have had an "iconic commitment to free speech".

A quick google search seems to show the opposite that they have a course on the history of Palestine that pisses off Pro-Israel people. But at one point it was cancelled, then after some protest brought back so I dunno.

 

[echoshifting]

I can't believe we are still talking about an event where the speaker intended to get up in front of an audience and specifically target/identify innocent people over their immigration status. He had to be stopped.

 

[adamy]

Sounds stupid

What does?

 

[Bronx-Man]

 

[Couleurs]

edit: /\/\/\ hell yeah

Counterpoint: nazis should be punched as frequently as possible

 

[Breads]

#reasonswhyTrumpwon

 

[Malfunky]

(UCPD sucks statewide)

 

[Gardios]

http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1325555

Milo and others like him can fuck right off. How about that instead?

 

[EnlightenedMint]

Milo has harassed trans students at universities in the past, it's beyond a free speech issue at this point.

 

[Zabka]

Milo goes to universities and singles out students for harassment during his speeches. Fuck that guy.

 

[johnsmith]

Keep punching those Nazis

 

[Got]

all day erryday

 

[Platy]

As a student of worldwide history you should know that Gandhi is famous because it was the ONLY TIME a pacific protest worked.

The USA started with a violent protest, Black history is filled with violent protests to gets shit done and the history of the LGBT movement started with a violent protest.

When people confure free speech with freedom to hate (xkcd.jpg) it makes people ANGRY with the system and angriness is best shown with violence, preferable against glass, walls and buildings...

 

[diaspora]

 

[liquidtmd]

Their words will kill more than my fists will hurt

 

[ant_]

I find it telling that none of you are willing to engage with the arguments posed in the opinion piece. Instead, we post nazi-punching images and say, "Nah."

Using violence to suppress free speech does nothing but empower the movement you're trying to suppress. And that's been clear with the Milo incident. Milo arguably gained more followers and attention due to the violence at his event than he would have if the event was just held & peacefully protested. The violence brought him legitimacy and only strengthened his rhetoric.

This isn't about protest. It's about violence being used to suppress free speech.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

you have to be careful of opening the pandora's box that is political violence

because fascists are so much better at using it

 

[Siegcram]

Even if one believes that Yiannopoulos’ speech might potentially have constituted some form of rhetorical violence, meeting this threat with actual physical violence is antithetical to what we, as a community dedicated to open inquiry, must and do stand for.

If allowing and subjecting students to rhetorical violence (something we have video evidence of, in Milo's case) is something your community stands for, then your community is frankly worthless.

 

[Mr. X]

It's self defense. Wish they would quit trying to convince the public white supremacy is a political view and they deserve a voice.

 

[Monocle]

I'm pretty sure that harassment exceeds the bounds of free speech. You don't get to target people for victimization and violence and then hide behind free speech protections.

 

[kmax]

If they openly talk about exterminating human beings and wish for death of people, then they are a threat to people's existence. Richard Spencer is a perfect example of a scumbag that deservedly got what was coming for him. Violence is rarely the answer, but in extreme cases it is necessary.

You can't say whatever the fuck you want and not expect to be clocked in the face. There are human boundaries that you respect.

 

[eggandI]

(UCPD sucks statewide)

I remember how many people were delighted when this happened and were calling the cops heroes and whatnot.

 

[Monocle]

The best way to start your day.

 

[Frozenprince]

Fuck a Nazi, he can catch a go to sleep then fuck off in shame.

 

[The Adder]

Works on so many levels.

 

[clockworkinyou]

What does?

Everything you're saying sounds stupid.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

If they openly talk about exterminating human beings and wish for death of people, then they are a threat to people's existence. Richard Spencer is a perfect example of a scumbag that deservedly got what was coming for him. Violence is rarely the answer, but in extreme cases it is necessary.

You can't say whatever the fuck you want and not expect to be clocked in the face. There are human boundaries that you respect.

it's very disturbing if usa don't have hate speech laws to put a stop to stuff like that

 

[How About No]

 

[RDreamer]

The violence at these things has been largely from anarchists. It's not violence to suppress free speech, it's violence because that's what asshole anarchists do. And yes the left has had some fun at punching a guy that should probably have been punched much earlier in his life, but even that was done by an anarchist, wasn't it?

The vast, vast majority of the protests have also been non-violent free speech. I don't get why we keep lumping in what's probably 1 or 2% of people and letting them taint an entire movement, especially when there's large evidence those people aren't even part of that same movement but rather using the chaos for their own disphittery.

My own opinion is that whoever punches an asshole like Milo or Spencer should probably have consequences. We shouldn't legalize punching people. That said, I'm sure as fuck going to celebrate punching people like those two. Always. Bullies getting punched is just something I will always love.

 

[Platy]

Keep punching those Nazis

My only problem with this is that if the person punched like 5 minutes after we would have more ammo to turn Pepe into a dog whistle