ADF, YAF, Ben Shapiro file free speech suit against CSULA — Transcript

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1. 0:00no hate speech no hate speech no
2. 0:06no spe free speech is one of our most
3. 0:09cherished human rights but these
4. 0:12protesters have become an obstacle to
5. 0:13free speech by blocking access to an
6. 0:15event featuring a conservative speaker
7. 0:18you don't have to agree but you have to
8. 0:20have that right to say it this is a
9. 0:24university it's a school of thought so
10. 0:26it's um even if you don't agree you need
11. 0:29to
12. 0:30listen more than anywhere else in
13. 0:32America a college campus should be the
14. 0:34safest place to express different ideas
15. 0:37beliefs and points of view universities
16. 0:39are supposed to be a place where
17. 0:41students can get together and engage in
18. 0:43debates and exchange ideas uh that's why
19. 0:46they're referred to as the marketplace
20. 0:48of ideas at least that's what members of
21. 0:50The Young Americans for Freedom thought
22. 0:52last February when the club planned a
23. 0:54free speech event on the California
24. 0:56State University Los Angeles campus with
25. 0:59conservative speaker Ben Shapiro he's
26. 1:01very intellectual and he's really good
27. 1:03at arguing and debating and so I thought
28. 1:05he could change some of the minds of
29. 1:07students here C to my knowledge to what
30. 1:10I've known so far on the research that
31. 1:11I've done there has never been a
32. 1:13conservative speaker here on campus and
33. 1:15reactions from liberals on campus what
34. 1:17got to me the most is how mean and
35. 1:19vicious they were against people who
36. 1:21didn't believe the way they they thought
37. 1:22they were all like oh we believe we're
38. 1:25open-minded we're tolerant and then when
39. 1:27you find out someone who doesn't think
40. 1:28the way you think they call him like
41. 1:29like racist sexist homophobic despite
42. 1:32hostile reaction the students decided
43. 1:35Free Speech was worth the effort the
44. 1:37university attempted to impose security
45. 1:39fees on the event because they said it
46. 1:40was controversial and then they
47. 1:42attempted to cancel the event and on the
48. 1:45day of the event they allowed a mob to
49. 1:47block access and prohibit students from
50. 1:49attending the event protesters were
51. 1:51allowed to lock arms and block the
52. 1:53entrances creating a serious safety risk
53. 1:56despite assurances of a safe and secure
54. 1:58environment from the administ ation and
55. 2:00the presence of campus
56. 2:04police come
57. 2:08on hey if you guys you know what if you
58. 2:12guys really want to see it this is on
59. 2:14the internet being streamed live but the
60. 2:16point is you ain't going in through that
61. 2:18door no no violence while the mob was
62. 2:22chanting no violence they were pushing
63. 2:25and assaulting those who wanted access
64. 2:26to the event people pushed me down was
65. 2:30shoved elbowed multiple times those guys
66. 2:32they were punching they were all in
67. 2:33front of the door meanwhile campus
68. 2:35police did little to clear the way for
69. 2:37students that wanted to enter the
70. 2:39auditorium some people were being
71. 2:41prohibited from getting inside because
72. 2:42of the crowd yes so what kind of crowd
73. 2:46what kind of control are you exerting
74. 2:47over the crowd to let the people we're
75. 2:49not exerting any control over the crowd
76. 2:51how come because it's not a safety issue
77. 2:54at this point the most shocking thing to
78. 2:55me was the amount of unlawful and
79. 2:57violent behavior that the university
80. 2:58allowed the protesters to to engage in
81. 3:00and they allowed them to stop the
82. 3:02students from engaging in their first
83. 3:04amendment rights and just be able to
84. 3:05attend Ben speech with the mob blocking
85. 3:08the doors from the outside campus police
86. 3:10made an announcement the the auditorium
87. 3:13is full no you can see he that I'm
88. 3:15telling you we were told by his folks
89. 3:17that that it's full and that he's the
90. 3:20speech has already begun this is video
91. 3:21of Ben Shapiro starting his speech to a
92. 3:24rather empty Auditorium the waves of
93. 3:26students that you see entering right now
94. 3:28are being sneaked in because in America
95. 3:30in 2016 you have to use the back door if
96. 3:33you want to participate in free speech
97. 3:35you get to block the front door if
98. 3:36you're a member of the left but the pro
99. 3:38Freedom students pressed on determined
100. 3:41that the event would take place despite
101. 3:43attempts by the mob which included some
102. 3:46faculty to shut it down the professors
103. 3:48and other faculty members of the
104. 3:50University were actively participating
105. 3:52in organizing encouraging students and
106. 3:55then participating in stopping students
107. 3:57from attending this free speech event
108. 3:59and and those who did get in weren't
109. 4:01allowed to leave immediately after
110. 4:02Shapiro's speech I Have Been Told by
111. 4:05campus police that it is literally a
112. 4:07threat to life and limb to go out there
113. 4:09I've told they I've been told that they
114. 4:10can't personally guarantee my security
115. 4:12or any of your securities if you go out
116. 4:14there right now I was very scared I'm
117. 4:17not going to lie it was extremely
118. 4:21dangerous extremely scary for the
119. 4:22students who were so determined to
120. 4:24exercise their first amendment rights
121. 4:26they've decided to stand up to those who
122. 4:29tried to silence them Alliance defending
123. 4:31freedom and the plaintiffs have filed
124. 4:32this lawsuit to send a message to the
125. 4:34university that you can't impose fees on
126. 4:37speech that they think is controversial
127. 4:39and you can't allow a mob to shut down
128. 4:41speech Just because the mob disagrees
129. 4:43with it we don't want the university to
130. 4:45perform illegal actions against us or
131. 4:48canceling our event just behind
132. 4:50everyone's backs we don't want the
133. 4:51university to break the First Amendment
134. 4:52just to silence us