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The freedom of speech is the foundation of any free society. Without it, a tyrant can work his will unhindered, which is one reason why the Biden-Harris regime’s distaste for this Constitutionally protected right is so disquieting. The problem, however, didn’t start with Old Joe and Kamala. America’s universities for decades have been radioactive wastelands of far-left indoctrination, at which opposing views are demonized, stigmatized, and silenced altogether. But one courageous and indispensable group is fighting back.

Young America’s Foundation filed suit on Thursday against UCLA for blocking a lecture I was scheduled to give there on May 15, 2024, entitled “Everything You Know About Palestine Is Wrong.” I made it to campus, under police guard so heavy that it would have been appropriate for a president of the United States or visiting head of state, which only underscored the fact that UCLA officials knew very well that the pro-Hamas protesters they were indulging would turn violent without any hesitation.

Nevertheless, indulge them they did. I was allowed to go to the hall where the event was supposed to have taken place, where I met briefly with the patriotic students of the UCLA YAF chapter, who had invited me to come to the campus in the first place. No one else, however, was allowed in. I had been looking forward to what had been certain to be a hostile but, I hoped, illuminating give-and-take with some of the campus pro-Hamas cohort. Instead, I watched from the window as they marched by, holding their propaganda signs and shouting their moronic slogans, until the UCLA students told me to keep away from the window, lest these indoctrinated thugs turn to the violence that the campus police feared so very much.

UCLA top dogs cited those very “security concerns” in shutting down the event. Given the clear bloodlust of the pro-Hamas crowd, that may seem reasonable at first. However, YAF’s Spencer Brown, who before moving over to YAF was Townhall’s managing editor, explained the ominous implications of this: “These UCLA administrators violated the YAF students’ rights and failed to prevent a heckler’s veto by caving to pro-Hamas agitators. As a public school run with taxpayer dollars, UCLA must remain viewpoint-neutral and is prohibited from picking winners and losers when it comes to free expression.”

Indeed. Colleges and universities all over the country have not been viewpoint-neutral for a very long time, but that doesn’t mean that patriots simply have to accept the status quo. These institutions play a pivotal role in training the next generation, which is why Marxist entities, as well as well-heeled pro-Sharia states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have targeted them for so very long. The pro-Hamas cadres taking to encampments to demonstrate their support for jihad terror didn’t spring up out of nowhere. The groundwork for this has been prepared for a very long time.

That explains why UCLA officials have scant interest in protecting the freedom of speech; they’re on the side of the pro-Hamas thugs. In the face of criticism over the cancellation of my event, UCLA administrators resorted to lying outright. A UCLA official claimed in May 2024 that “there is misinformation circulating that the Young America’s Foundation event at UCLA on Wednesday evening was canceled by the university. This is incorrect. The event took place in the designated location after it shifted to a closed, recorded event as proposed by the organizer and agreed to by UCLA.”

This was entirely false and deceptive. I know that because I was right there on the scene. The event was canceled. Word went out on campus and on social media about the cancellation. Then YAF asked me to go to the campus, as they were going to have me meet the YAF chapter there and record a few videos. This is not even close to anything that could be honestly characterized as “the event took place.” But this is the sleight-of-hand that left-fascist university administrators use all over the country to prevent dissident voices from being heard.

Mountain States Legal Foundation Senior Counsel James Kerwin noted that “UCLA allowed its campus to be taken over by a radical anti-Israel mob, claiming that it could not do anything because the mob had a right to free speech (never mind the violence and property destruction).” The contrast is stark and indefensible: “But when YAF wanted to put on a true free speech event — a peaceful lecture presenting another perspective on the Middle East conflict, UCLA changed its tune and shut the talk down.”

Kerwin drew the obvious conclusion: “UCLA pretends it cares about freedom of expression, but when push comes to shove, it only allows one side to have its say. That is a violation of the First Amendment. This lawsuit will force UCLA to do what it should have done long ago: treat all viewpoints fairly and stop the campus shout-down mobs.” Exactly so. This could be a landmark case for the freedom of speech on campuses everywhere. For the future of our nation, every patriot should hope that YAF will prevail.