Clearly I was wrong.
Chancellor’s message on campus appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos
The concerns around the upcoming visit of a controversial speaker to campus make it necessary for us to reaffirm our collective commitment to two fundamental principles for our campus. The first of these principles is the
right to free expression, enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and reflected in some of the most important moments of Berkeley’s history. The second of these principles has to do with our
values of tolerance, inclusion and diversity – values which we believe are essential to making this university, and indeed any university, a site of open inquiry and learning.
While both these principles are fundamental to who we are and what we aspire to be as a community, we must at the same time acknowledge that at times these principles can be in tension with or even in opposition to each other. This sometime tension between rights and values is at the heart of the current controversy concerning the planned visit to Berkeley of Milo Yiannopoulos, who has been invited to speak on campus by one of our registered campus organizations, the Berkeley College Republicans (BCR). Like all student organizations, the BCR is a separate legal entity from the university, and it is technically the BCR, and not the university, that is the host of this upcoming event.
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Since the announcement of Mr. Yiannopoulos’s visit, we have received many requests that we ban him from campus and cancel the event. Although we have responded to these requests directly, we would like to explain to the entire campus community why the event will be held as planned. First, from a legal perspective, the U.S. Constitution prohibits UC Berkeley, as a public institution, from banning expression based on its content or viewpoints, even when those viewpoints are hateful or discriminatory. Longstanding campus policy permits registered student organizations to invite speakers to campus and to make free use of meeting space in the Student Union for that purpose.
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Finally, we have also made the BCR aware that some of those who are opposed to Yiannopoulos’s perspectives and conduct have vowed to mount a substantial protest against his presence on our campus. UCPD has been directed to maintain public safety and to do what it can to prevent disruptions and preserve order. It should be noted that the anticipated cost of those additional preparations and measures will be borne entirely by the campus, and will far exceed the basic security costs that are the responsibility of the hosting organization. We will not stand idly by while laws or university policies are violated, no matter who the perpetrators are.
Nothing we have done to plan for this event should be mistaken as an endorsement of Yiannopoulos’s views or tactics. Indeed, we are saddened that anyone would use degrading stunts or verbal assaults on marginalized members of our society to promote a political platform. And yet, I would quote my colleague, UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman, who recently wrote, “Universities support free speech and condemn censorship for two reasons — to ensure that positive, helpful, illuminating messages can circulate widely, and to expose hateful or dangerous ideas that, if never engaged or rebutted, would gain traction in the darker corners of our society. Hate speech is like mold: Its enemies are bright light and fresh air.” This admonition may be more important in our current political moment than ever.
As always, we encourage those of you who wish to exercise your right to protest this event to review our standing suggestions regarding
how to protest safely. We also want to reaffirm our shared commitment to the campus
Principles of Community and the extent to which they capture and support our most important values and aspirations.
Sincerely,
Nicholas Dirks
Chancellor
