On Tuesday, a Skype-in speech by British activist and campaigner Tommy Robinson to the Columbia University College Republicans was subject to a ‘heckler’s veto’ by an assorted mob of Black Lives Matter, ANTIFA and other leftist protesters. Footage revealed the mob of leftist protesters interrupting Robinson’s speech by repetitively chanting over him, standing in front of the screen on which Robinson’s Skype feed was displayed, holding placards in an attempt to shut down any meaningful exchange from Robinson to the attendees present to hear what he had to say.
Robinson (the name being a pseudonym to minimize the risk of a Theo van Gogh-style assassination) rose to prominence in the mid-2000’s as the founder and leader of the English Defence League (or ‘EDL’), a football hooligan-inspired street protest movement in the United Kingdom predicated upon opposition to Sharia law and Islamism threatening the British and English way of life. At its height, the EDL regularly orchestrated marches and events with thousands of supporters in working-class English towns and cities swamped by massive uncontrolled Islamic migration. The movement would undergo a decline in activity after Robinson left as the official leader in 2013, although he remains active in British politics and nationalist circles.
The president of the Columbia College Republicans, Ari Boosalis, blamed the University administration for essentially permitting the mob to shut down the event, when asked for comment by the New York Post.
“This university is not upholding free speech values- The failure of this event is a failure of this university. These protesters had their time to say what they wanted but then they should have been asked to leave to let Tommy speak,” he said.
In a later statement, the CUCR’s spoke against the University’s tacit permission to shut down the event given to the leftist protesters.
The CUCR has encouraged students and community members let down after being blocked from hearing Robinson’s talk to patronize their upcoming events, including an October 30th presentation by author and gorilla mindset personality Mike Cernovich. Cernovich has become a massive figure in the pro-Trump nationalist movement, and leftists will likely make their presence known yet again.
