As an alumnus of both the University of California, Berkeley and the student group hosting Milo Yiannopoulos there, I’ve had some conflicting feelings about the haze of confusion surrounding “Berkeley Free Speech Week.” After his planned speech in February was thwarted by far-left violence, Milo has been hyping a return to the iconic home of the Free Speech Movement for months.
Although Milo and I don’t see eye-to-eye on most issues, defending free speech makes for some unlikely bedfellows. The American Civil Liberties Union, for example, has famously defended the American Nazi Party, the Ku Klux Klan, the Nation of Islam, and many other extremist groups. As the English writer Evelyn Beatrice Hall famously wrote, in a quote popularly misattributed to Voltaire, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
For this reason, I stood up for Milo after the February riot in a piece for the Washington Examiner, vowing to not donate until the home of the Free Speech Movement lives up to its reputation. The fact of the matter is, when it comes to free speech, standing up for deplorable opinions comes with the territory.
Standing up for incompetence, however, is a different matter.
For the past several weeks, the student group hosting Milo’s event, Berkeley Patriot, has continually mishandled the paperwork and public relations required to successfully execute an event of the size they’re aspiring to hold. First, they released an outlandish speaker list confirming speakers they apparently had not even contacted, including Charles Murray and “Google memo” author James Damore. Then, they missed three deadlines from the university to secure the venues they desired.
As of today, it’s still unclear who exactly is slated to speak, with question marks next to many big names including Steve Bannon and Ann Coulter. Amidst his cloud of confusion, one previously confirmed speaker, “Twinks for Trump” creator Lucian Wintrich, has dropped out.
This level of unprofessionalism is embarrassing even for college students.
I do not pass this judgement lightly as a former Cal student group leader. I know how ideological, frustrating, and downright rude some bureaucrats at my alma mater can be. But, at the end of the day, they have a legal interest in balancing free speech with legitimate campus safety concerns. The two are not mutually exclusive, but they must both be addressed when dealing with high-profile events.
I was able to successfully navigate the jungle of red tape to host Ron Paul during his 2012 presidential campaign in front of a crowd of thousands — despite a last-minute venue change on the day of. Milo may be more controversial than Paul was at the time, but the point remains that there is not a vast left-wing conspiracy among the Berkeley bureaucracy to silence conservative speech.
Despite the jaw-dropping incompetence of the Berkeley Patriot, the university has still pledged to accommodate Free Speech Week — a decision that should be applauded. I suspect the work of newly-minted Chancellor Carol Christ is responsible — Christ has repeatedly stood up for free speech in communications with the Berkeley community.
But, the fact that the show will go on does not mean that defenders of free speech should see next week’s publicity stunt as a victory for the First Amendment. Nobody’s rights have been violated — not Milo or the members of the Berkeley Patriot. Rather, the poor case for victimhood they are peddling is purely the result of their incompetence.
Sadly, this dog and pony show has overshadowed the nonpartisan Free Speech Week that has been running for many years now. With prominent sponsors including the American Bar Association, the Newseum, and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, this event should be remembered as the rightful owner of its title.
Let’s not let Milo use the Free Speech Week name in vain.
Casey Given (@CaseyJGiven) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is the executive director of Young Voices.
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