The leader of a socialist student organization at Florida International University recently labeled members of conservative student organization Turning Point USA “fascists,” going so far as to talk about wanting to burn down the organization’s event tent.
“I’m gonna be talking about how to fight fascism, specifically on college campuses,” Andy Vila, FIU chairman of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, stated during a recent talk titled, “Fighting Fascism and the Right on College Campuses.”
“We’re gonna talk about how this ideology manifests on a college campus here in America. We’re gonna talk about Turning Point specifically. This is because, at least from my own personal perspective, I view Turning Point as one of the organizations that is enabling this sort of thinking to brew on college campuses across the country,” Vila stated later on during the speech.
Vila also denounced President Trump as a fascist.
Giving examples of several characteristics of fascist ideology, Vila proclaimed, “I think, Trump basically, in our country, he exemplified what fascism could look like in America, with how he essentially started his campaign. He very clearly declared that Mexican people and Muslims were the enemy of the state.”
Moreover, Vila discussed TPUSA tactics, such as rolling a “Free Speech Ball” on campus.
“They have people who come on and write the N-word and write anti-Semitic and homophobic things and slurs and it’s completely tolerable to them, because to them, all of this is under the guise of freedom of speech,” Vila claimed.
He continued advising his audience to protest, fight back in the classroom, and disrupt political events they oppose.
“This is a question that you guys are metaphorically asking, ‘Now that I know how right-wingers will act, how can I smash them?’”
Furthermore, Vila resorted to joking about burning down a TPUSA tent at a recent event.
“A few months back, in the spring semester, Turning Point USA held one of their ‘Socialism Kills’ events,” Vila said. “We strategized at the beginning, we were like, ‘Okay, guys, so these guys are gonna spread their BS message on our campus, what do we do? We obviously can’t burn down their tent, as much as we want to, because that’s a bad thing I guess.’”
Vila’s talk is a part of the Miami Democratic Socialists of America’s speaker series dubbed, “Socialist Summer School.” Other talks include “Healthcare as a Human Right: Envisioning a Socialist Healthcare System,” “Gender and Digital Justice,” “Transitioning to a Socialist Political Economy in the 21st Century,” and “How to Fight Back in Our Current Systems.”
Red Alert Politics reached out to Vila, who asserted he was joking, and that DSA does not condone violence.
“If you don’t think Turning Point is fascist, that’s fine. I respect your point of view. But to me, they exhibit many of the characteristics described in the talk,” Vila said, expressing that “violence” was where his organization would draw the line during a protest, and that shutting down political opponents was acceptable.
“Will you make me famous?” Vila asked, concluding, “You make us famous, then we start revolutions.”
