Friday, October 27, 2006

Vice Chancellor Gomez: "one person’s hate speech is another person’s education."

Hat Tip: LGF and MereRhetoric

Reut R. Cohen published an article on October 24th in Jewish Collegiate News titled "Jewish Students Discuss Vandalism With Chancellor". That article is a summary of an October 18th meeting between some of the Jewish students on campus and Chancellor Drake and Vice Chancellor Gomez regarding some recent vandalism on campus involving a swastika and vulgarities.

“I hate that things like this happen,” Drake responded, acknowledging that there has been speech on campus promoted by the Muslim Student Union (MSU) that is largely hateful. Drake called hate-speech “vile,” “awful,” and “stupid,” and said it is “weak” human beings who engage in such speech. The chancellor also asserted that hateful speech does absolutely nothing to promote understanding and tolerance.
Many Jewish students at the meeting blamed the Muslim Student Union for creating an environment in which hate speech can prosper, which they felt had a direct connection to the vandalism.

Some of the Jewish students at the meeting revealed that they and others had been subject to verbal and physical intimidation at the hands of MSU members, and that they had previously reported these claims to campus security. In light of this, some students asked that Drake place restrictions on where MSU events are held, saying that if their events were held in classrooms as opposed to public spaces, their effect would not be as broad. However, Chancellor Drake told Jewish students at the meeting that he cannot restrict any club, that it would be “violation of law to prohibit certain speech.”

Gomez emphasized that though hate speech may be present, he would not seek to curtail it, as “one person’s hate speech is another person’s education.”


Looks like the Vice Chancellor wants "equal time for Hitler".

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