On March 2, 2017, students at Middlebury College in Vermont held protests, making it impossible for a visiting speaker to present for the students. This speaker was Charles Murray, a conservative author whose work advocates the belief in white supremacy. He writes that the white race is scientifically, biologically, superior. A student group had requested Murray’s presence on campus, wanting to hear him speak. However, this view clearly represented a small portion of students at Middlebury, as on arrival, students were ready in protest.
Students at Middlebury made so much noise in protest when Charles Murray tried to speak, it quickly became clear that he would not be able to present his prepared speech. Anticipating this reaction, Murray had prepared to broadcast his speech through video, but the students’ protests were disruptive enough to also make this impossible. At his leaving, students jumped on his car, and protested around it, calling out his blatant racism. Middlebury students made it clear that Murray’s pseudo-science racism had no place at the college.
Following the protests at Middlebury, conservatives and the alt-right have complained that students were violating Murray’s first amendment right to free speech. But they are forgetting that the first amendment is upheld by the government. The students were, in fact, exercising their first amendment right in response to Murray’s racism. It is not the citizen’s responsibility to uphold the first amendment -this is the responsibility of the government. Murray’s racism was not welcome at Middlebury, so the students made clear that they opposed his hate. Those claiming Murray’s first amendment right was violated are ignoring these facts.
Middlebury students refused to accept Murray’s racism as an “opinion”, but rather saw it for what is is; unfounded hatred. His claims of biological superiority of white people are based in no real science, and simply are based in his own racism. Middlebury students refused to give validation to his ideas by refusing to hear him speak. To give a platform to racism is to validate it. Middlebury refused, and were accused of violating free speech. Rather than violating Murray’s free speech, the students were exercising their free speech in response to blatant ignorance, hatred, and racism.
