Several pro-Palestinian student protesters at the University of Kentucky (UK) disrupted a speech given by Ian Haworth, a British 91传媒 conservative pundit, on Feb. 27 that included chants of anti-Israel slogans. The fire alarm was also pulled.
Haworth, who hosts a podcast on YouTube called 鈥淥ff Limits鈥� and whose work has appeared in publications including The Washington Examiner, New York Post and 91传媒week, was brought to the campus by the school鈥檚 Turning Point USA chapter to discuss Hamas, the Oct. 7 massacre and the explosion of antisemitism worldwide following the massacre. Haworth told the Journal in a phone interview that the disruption occurred toward the beginning of his speech, as he started quoting from the Hamas charter after describing the atrocities of Oct. 7.
鈥淭hese people started shouting over me,鈥� Haworth said. 鈥淎t first they were saying, who鈥檚 paying me 鈥� that I鈥檓 lying, this is all Zionist propaganda, that I support genocide, what about the 30,000 Palestinians killed 鈥� I tried once or twice to say, 鈥楬ey, look, thank you for coming, I鈥檓 going to show you the respect of sticking around and answering any questions you may have. Don鈥檛 interrupt me, this is a public university, I鈥檝e been invited to speak. The heckler鈥檚 veto is not freedom of speech.鈥� After Haworth said this, the protesters became 鈥渞eally riled up鈥� and shouted him down, and acted 鈥渜uite threatening to me and everyone else in the room,鈥� Haworth said. The police escorted everyone out of the event and only allowed those with tickets back inside.
Katie Jefferson, who heads the university鈥檚 TPUSA chapter, the Kentucky Kernel student newspaper, 鈥淚t was agreed between me and the officer that we were going to continue the event but only for people that had signed up with tickets because we had a ticketing system. That鈥檚 not really what they (the officers) did. The officers kind of said 鈥業t鈥檚 canceled,鈥� and then they brought us back in, that鈥檚 not what I thought they were going to say.鈥�
The protesters remained outside and chanted, 鈥渞esistance is justified when people are occupied鈥� and 鈥淗aworth Haworth you can鈥檛 hide we charge you with genocide.鈥� Haworth was able to finish his lecture, but as the Q&A session was coming to a close, the fire alarm went off.
鈥淭he police told us not to evacuate because they were all waiting for us outside the door; they were obviously trying to get everybody out in the open,鈥� Haworth said. The police secured the building then armed officers safely escorted Haworth and the audience out of the building into the parking structure. 鈥淎ll these people were waiting at the bottom of the parking garage,鈥� continued Haworth. 鈥淪ome of them followed us to the parking garage 鈥� and then they were all waiting at the front screaming and shouting at anyone who left.鈥�
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鉂楋笍鉂楋笍Pro-Palestinian Protestors interrupt a event w/ while speaking on Israel at
In an attempt to hinder our free speech they attempt to barge through the doors and then pull the fire alarm 馃毃馃毃馃毃
— Maggie fuchs (@maggiefuchs9)
The TPUSA chapter posted a statement to social media that 鈥減rotesters showed up unannounced without tickets鈥� and 鈥渋mmediately began loudly interrupting, screaming, chanting, vandalizing our property with red paint and insulting our speaker.鈥� Haworth suggested on 鈥渟everal鈥� occasions that the protesters could air their thoughts during the Q&A session, the TPUSA statement said; the chapter added that 鈥渢here was a verbal warning鈥� that continued disruptions would result in police removing them. 鈥淔or the next hour, the protesters proceeded to scream, chant, and bang on the door, then pulled the fire alarm in the building,鈥� the TPUSA statement said, adding that attendees exiting the building were harassed and followed by 鈥渢he mob of protesters.鈥�
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Jefferson told the Kernel that the police believe one of the protesters pulled the fire alarm but they didn鈥檛 know the identity of the individual.
The Lexington 4 Palestine (Lex4Palestine) group posted a to social media saying that 鈥渟tudents let [Haworth] know that Zionism and bigotry are not welcome on UK鈥檚 campus鈥� and then claimed that the university police 鈥渄iscriminated against students multiple times and lied, telling them that the event was canceled when it was continuing behind closed doors. Students who came after the so-called cancellation were denied entry, simply for being visibly Arab and/or Muslim.鈥� They also alleged that 鈥渟tudents were told to evacuate, or they would be taken out in handcuffs鈥� once the fire alarm went off; looking through the building鈥檚 windows, they could see the event attendees doing a 鈥減hotoshoot鈥� before being escorted out by police.
鈥淯KPD鈥檚 multiple threats to arrest students for 鈥榯respassing鈥� on their own campus, which is a public institution and a site of protected speech, is abhorrent and dangerous,鈥� the Lex4Palestine statement added. 鈥淎t a time where college students are vulnerable to targeting and hate crimes, the police鈥檚 actions were inexcusable. It is unacceptable that a UK organization can host such an event propagating and uplifting genocidal hate speech on our campus.鈥�
Sajida Megariaf, a student at the university who was ordered by police to leave the event or else get arrested for trespassing, told the Kernel that even though the protesters were told the event had been canceled, the event was still ongoing. 鈥淎nybody who was visibly brown was not allowed inside,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he only people in the auditorium that were allowed in and continued to be in the auditorium were white.鈥� She is also quoted in the Kernel as saying: 鈥淭hey had lied to us, profiled us, not allowed us back in and we鈥檙e standing there and we鈥檙e just like, 鈥榃hat is going on?鈥� And then the fire alarm goes off. Officers were like 鈥楨verybody needs to evacuate. If you do not evacuate, you鈥檒l be evacuated in cuffs,鈥� and we were like, 鈥楴obody鈥檚 resisting to evacuate, but are the people inside going to be evacuated as well?鈥欌��
鈥淎mazing how they play victim the second they鈥檝e tried to shut an event down,鈥� Haworth told the Journal. 鈥淚t鈥檚 wild.鈥�
University spokesperson Jay Blanton told the Journal, 鈥淪hortly after the event began, students began protesting inside of the hall where the event was taking place. The student organizer of the event read a prepared script, which stated that if any disruptions continued, they would be asked to leave by UKPD. This is standard protocol of any event taking place on campus. After this statement was read, disruptions continued, and after several warnings, the UKPD lieutenant on the scene, per our protocols, temporarily stopped the event and asked all participants the room. Only ticketholders were allowed back inside as the event resumed.鈥� As the event was winding down, 鈥渁n unknown subject was let into the back of the building by another unknown subject where they proceeded to pull a fire alarm. The building was subsequently evacuated by UKPD in a manner that would keep the two groups separate from each other in the interest of safety.鈥�
No injuries or arrests were made, and the university is investigating the matter.
聽Haworth told the Journal that it鈥檚 not the first time one of his speeches has been disrupted protesters, nor was it the worst (he recalled worse instances when he gave speeches on abortion and free speech at other campuses), but it was 鈥渂y far the worst鈥� instance of a disruption when speaking about an Israel-related topic.
鈥淧eople need to realize, this is happening on average, small campuses all over the country,鈥� Haworth said. 鈥淗arvard gets all the attention, but there are colleges all over the country where it鈥檚 just not safe to be 91传媒 anymore. I get to go home; these students have to live with these monsters. It breaks my heart. It鈥檚 a terrifying time to live in for these students.鈥�
