On September 27th, representatives of the William & Mary chapter of Black Lives Matter shut down an event where executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, Claire Gastañaga, was scheduled to speak. BLM protestors were organized, prepared with posters and chants to disrupt the event and prevent Gastañaga from presenting. There was some confusion about the goal of the protest; some students thought they were protesting the ACLU, others thought they were protesting the student organization Alma Mater Productions. In an exclusive interview with The Black Voice, one BLM member clarified the intent behind the protest: “This is not about AMP. This is not about the ACLU. This is about liberals use of the concept of free speech in the furthering of White Supremacy… Our goal is to silence white supremacy, to not allow it a platform like the ACLU has done for a long time.” The ACLU was partially responsible for the infamous rally in Charlottesville this August. The ACLU backed “Unite the Right” organizer Jason Kessler in suing the city of Charlottesville for trying to revoke the permit for the rally because it was a “violation of free speech”, thus allowing the event to proceed as planned. The idea of whether or not hate speech should be protected under the First Amendment is being heavily debated. Should speech that openly threatens and incites violence against others be protected under Constitutional law? Another BLM member offered another explanation for why they chose to protest white supremacy in this manner: “It’s not just the ACLU that has done this, it’s liberal organizations. Most liberal students on this campus believe that white supremacy should be valued as free speech, as discourse, and we firmly disagree with that.” Despite heckling from a few students in attendance at the event, Black Lives Matter protesters stood firm in their cause for over an hour. Chanting things like, “ACLU, who’s your enemy? Make your target white supremacy”, “No justice, no peace, Nazis don’t deserve free speech” and “Your free speech hides beneath white sheets”, the protesters boldly challenged white supremacy and the ACLU’s responsibility in furthering it. Below is the official statement read by Black Lives Matter W&M during the protest: “The event description for this “open discussion” says nothing about the ACLU’s controversial decision to help white supremacists sue Charlottesville. The tragic events in Charlottesville are only the latest in the ACLU’s long legacy of being on the wrong side of history. By hiding behind the rhetoric of the first amendment and free speech, the ACLU has provided a platform for the most extreme forms of white supremacy. When is the free speech of the oppressed protected? We know from personal experience that rights granted to wealthy, White, cis, male, straight bodies do not trickle down to marginalized groups. We face greater barriers and consequences for speaking. The ACLU and liberals believe that legality determines morality. Not too long ago, the constitution dictated that Black people only count as 3/5ths of a person. The Constitution cannot be your moral compass. In contrast to the ACLU, we want to reaffirm our position of zero tolerance for white supremacy no matter what form it decides to masquerade in. When the president of the United States refuses to condemn brutal violence committed in the name of genocide against Black people, indigenous people, and people of color, it is unacceptable to actively provide a platform for those who would perpetuate it. To those of you who disagree, we want to remind you: Black lives matter. Trans lives matter. Queer lives matter. Muslim lives matter. Native lives matter.” Watch the livestreamed video of the protest on their official Facebook page here. Camryn Easley
10 Comments
Karl
10/4/2017 03:21:02 pm
"Free Speech for Who?"
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Richard Motroni
10/4/2017 04:33:53 pm
As a person who firmly believes in freedom of speech, freedom of expression and the right to have their own opinions, what the BLM did at ACLU event was disgusting and reprehensible. This particular group (BLM) does not believe in the rights on the individual to think for themselves. The only opinion that matters to them is THEIR opinion and their opinion only. They want a totalitarian society where their views are law and any questioning of their views is strictly forbidden. They are the TRUE OPPRESSORS!
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gemmaem
10/4/2017 09:11:30 pm
You know what I hate? I hate it when people say that telling someone they're racist is an offense against free speech. "I have free speech," they say. "You're trying to take away my free speech by criticising me." But, of course, criticism cannot take away anyone's free speech. Freedom of speech is not the same as freedom from criticism.
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The Awkward Town Cryer
10/4/2017 11:46:23 pm
If freedom of speech were to disappear tomorrow, who would be silenced? Nicely-dressed White Supremacists or Black protestors and dissidents labeled by a racist media as “angry thugs”? What do Trump or the Republican congress consider hate-speech?
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Dolores Church
10/5/2017 11:46:52 am
Super insightful comments, totally impressed. And as a west coast liberal and ally of BLM, trans lives, queer lives, and oppressed peoples everywhere, the question I have for our good brothers and sisters at William & Mary is...who decides? In Virginia, who decides? In Washington DC, who decides? In the Deep South? See, out here in the Bay Area we going to be okay: Ban hate speech, and we’ll round up those nazis right quick. But you all got some backwards politicians in Virginia. You want them deciding what speach is protected and what speach is banned? Or, do you want to join hands with our brothers and sisters at the aclu, and protect speach for everyBODY, cause we don’t trust noBODY in politics to decide who gets to speak and who’s got to stay silent.
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Hibernia86
10/5/2017 11:49:37 am
The only reason BLM exists at all is because of the First Amendment. If you get rid of it, then it will be Black Americans who have their rights taken away first. By shutting down the ACLU event, the W&M BLM is working AGAINST Black Americans. Please don't turn into an anti-black organization. Stop attacking the First Amendment
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breitbart
10/5/2017 01:29:00 pm
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fuster
10/6/2017 11:52:32 pm
the actions of the people who shut down the speakers and the event are vile and not sane nor defensible.
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Laura P Dollieslager
10/8/2017 10:42:18 am
The BLM march was a brilliant way to show dominant groups what it feels like to be suppressed and oppressed. The ACLU screwed up badly in Charlottesville, and I say this as a member. They should appreciate what BLM did here. Civil disobedience, like satire, is available as a tool to be used by the oppressed, fighting against systemic and often invisible injustice. When dominant groups object or claim "reverse' oppression, they expose themselves as ignorant and vulgar. As have several commenters here, who are making BLMs point for them, to anyone who is thinking.
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MIke
1/18/2020 08:19:59 pm
If the Left attains the total power they lust after, they will be shoveling people into gas ovens. Want proof? Watch the video of the "demonstration". Listen to the hate-filled voices of the latent murderers.
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