As students return to college campuses across the United States, administrators are bracing for a resurgence in activism against the war in Gaza.
As students return to college campuses across the United States, administrators are bracing for a resurgence in activism against the war in Gaza.
1st Amendment only applies to the government. Unless these university admins are also members of government and acting in their capacity as such, then as shitty a move as this is, it’s not actually a 1st Amendment violation.
Some of the universities mentioned in the article are public institutions. SCOTUS held in Healy v James that the 1st Amendment applies to public universities. So some of the actions could be considered 1st Amendment violations.
Fun fact, the 1st amendment also applies to any organization or persons receiving money from the government (without it just being through sales ofc)
“It’s not illegal so that makes it cool.”
I personally find the ides that if you want an eduction, which is required for modern living, you need to abandon your rights as a citizen. Mandatary and needed public goods shouldn’t strip you of your mandatory and needed rights.
Students have their rights stripped, especially as a child, because some Karens and Kevins didn’t want to be a member of the HOA, they wanted to be a school board member.
Bags searched and confiscated, protests shut down, students having harmless objects taken away out of a nebulous fear of “could maybe do somethig in the future”.
I wouldn’t say that’s the sentiment expressed when people remind others of the limitations of freedom of speech. More like it’s a reminder that knowing exactly where those boundaries lie because somethings aren’t the government’s job to mediate. Sometimes it’s our collective job to resist because nobody is coming to fix it for you.
Realistically rights like the freedom of speech and expression are notoriously weak by way of actual protection by a culture. Russia technically has freedom of speech on the books but you can still be hauled off to prison for spreading “LGBTQIA propaganda”. What actually protects those rights are the expectations and moreover the outrage of a culture’s people against these acts of censorship regardless of who is perpetuating it.