DePaul DeMentia

It's been a while since I wrote about Chicago's DePaul University, America's largest "Catholic" college. A couple of days ago Pam Meister tipped me off to a frightening, but not (for me) surprising exercise in free speech suppression.

Jacob Shrybman flew from Israel last month to give a presentation at DePaul. He confronted not just anti-Semitism, but Hamas supporting goons. Let me remind you that Hamas is a terrorist organization dedicated to the anhilation of Israel.

From the Jersusalem Post:

Several anti-Israel posters draped the entrance to the building in which I began my presentation to a small audience of around 20. Then the room began filling with people not merely against Israel's political policies and action but in clear support of the Hamas terrorist organization.

When I invited a question-and-answer session following my presentation, the very right of free speech which I offered the audience - now numbering more than 100 - was denied me. One audience member verbally attacked me, declared his support for the firing of rockets into Israel and ended his anti-Semitic rant with a question irrelevant to anything in my presentation. I pointed out that the questioner was not simply criticizing Israel but was clearly expressing his support for Hamas.

Before I could finish answering, I was interrupted and silenced by the Hamas supporters. Then a student rose up in the front of the room and called me a "dirty whore" in Arabic. He then grabbed his crotch and screamed, "Here's your Kassam!" - in Arabic.

I wasn't able to utter a word, so the event was shut down. After I'd collected my belongings, the local police - teamed with university security - escorted me to my car. The combination of unceasing anti-Semitic chants, personal harassment and solidarity with a terrorist organization hijacked the event.

This is nothing new. Here's what Richard Baehr wrote in 2005 in the American Thinker:

I have a bit of personal experience with DePaul's concept of academic discussion and balance. I was invited a few years back to participate in a debate that was a final class project for a course on the Israeli—Palestinian conflict. There were six debate participants, three on each side. That much seemed fair enough. However the class material that had been distributed to students before the debate had been provided by pro—Palestinian groups including Students for Justice in Palestine. The suggested reading list could have been prepared by Norman Finkelstein himself. Two of the three debate moderators were aggressively hostile to the pro—Israel speakers (the third played it down the middle). The audience constantly interrupted the pro—Israel speakers.

I have participated in several such debates, and the atmosphere at this one was more physically threatening than any other in which I took part. Two of my family members who attended said they were concerned about my safety at times during the debate, as some audience members (almost all of whom were Palestinian supporters) shook their fingers and approached the podium, with the audience loudly cheering and hooting. It was, for a good part of the time, a free—for—all. Such is a final class project at DePaul these days.

Yes, these men were allowed to talk. But principle of free speech is not being honored when speakers are being shouted down.

Related posts:

Sept 15: Second anniversary of the beginning of the Thomas Klocek affair
DePaul President Fr. Holtschneider: "Academic freedom is alive and well at DePaul"
October 20: One year ago, Ward Churchill spoke at Chicago's DePaul University

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