Students and faculty at the University of Chicago have erupted in protest over one professor’s recent decision to invite former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon to speak on campus.
On Thursday, UChicago finance professor Luigi Zingales announced on Facebook that he was inviting Bannon, who recently resigned as executive chairman of Breitbart, to speak on campus.
“I can hardly think of a more important issue for new citizens and business leaders of the world than the backlash against globalization and immigration that is taking place not just in America, but in all the Western World,” Zingales wrote.
“For this reason, I invited Mr. Bannon to a debate on these issues with our faculty. I firmly believe that the current problems in America cannot be solved by demonizing who think differently, but by addressing the causes of their dissatisfaction,” Zingales added.
Student organizations, including the UChicago Young Democratic Socialists of America, Muslim Students Association, and Students for Justice in Palestine quickly mobilized. UChicago’s Young Democratic Socialists of America went so far as to label Bannon a “white supremacist” in one Facebook status.
Additionally, the collective organized a “Chicago Against Steve Bannon” protest on Thursday.
“Booth Professor Luigi Zingales has invited Steve Bannon to speak at the University of Chicago. As the founder of Breitbart News and a top advisor to Donald Trump, Bannon has promoted misogynistic, homophobic, white supremacist ideologies that demean and dehumanize marginalized communities,” the event’s description read.
“Join us at Booth tomorrow morning to show that we won’t tolerate white supremacy in our community and demand the University rescind its invitation,” the event description continues.
One video, posted to UChicago Young Democratic Socialists of America’s Facebook page on Thursday, shows activists standing in a circle, chanting, “We don’t want no Nazis here! Say it loud and say it queer!” and “No Trump! No KKK! No fascist USA!”
A second video shows protesters chanting, “Unite, unite, unite and fight the right! Black, Latino, Arab, Asian, and White!” Photos of the event show protesters holding signs saying, “Smash White Supremacy,” “Shame on Luigi Zingales,” “No Racism!” and “Ban Bannon.”
Students weren’t alone in expressing their displeasure at the invitation to Bannon. In fact, more than 40 UChicago faculty members signed a letter to the university’s president condemning the impending visit.
The text of the letter reveals that the faculty members involved are “deeply concerned” about Bannon’s invitation and claims that, “Bannon traffics in hate speech, promoting white supremacist ideologies meant to demean and dehumanize those most marginalized, often people of color.”
“The defense of freedom of expression cannot be taken to mean that white supremacy, anti-Semitism, misogyny, homophobia, anti-Catholicism, and Islamophobia must be afforded the rights and opportunity to be aired on a university campus,” the letter continues.
Moreover, the letter states that “the hate speech represented in Bannon’s body of work,” represents “the governing philosophy of the chief executive and a newly emboldened political movement based on white supremacy and religious intolerance.”
“We believe that Bannon should not be afforded the platform and opportunity to air his hate speech on this campus,” the faculty letter concludes.
The University of Chicago issued a clarifying statement in response to the controversy.
“The University of Chicago is deeply committed to upholding the values of academic freedom, the free expression of ideas, and the ability of faculty and students to invite the speakers of their choice. Any recognized student group, faculty group, University department or individual faculty member can invite a speaker to campus. We recognize that there will be debate and disagreement over this event; as part of our commitment to free expression, the University supports the ability of protesters and invited speakers to express a wide range of views,” the statement said.
Two former Trump aides, White House press secretary Sean Spicer and former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, spoke at UChicago amid protest last year.
Mitchell Gunter (@rMitchellGunter) is a senior civil engineering student at Clemson University.
