Campus police and administrators at St. Louis University banished a YAF free speech demonstration from campus, forcing YAF speaker Elisha Krauss and the activists to hold a protest on a public sidewalk just outside campus.
St. Louis University, which purports to be a Catholic university, escorted the YAF activists and Krauss from the center of campus––despite BLM protestors being allowed to host many protests in the same spot. The pro-abortion counter protestors were allowed to remain at the same location for an additional 20 minutes.
The free speech demonstration was initiated after SLU refused to sign a contract for an official on-campus event featuring Krauss for four weeks. Krauss was scheduled to speak on the dangers on cancel culture.
BREAKING: Police at St. Louis University escorted YAF’s @ElishaKrauss free speech rally off of campus—but allowed leftist protestors to stay. pic.twitter.com/eu2z9jQPsr
— YAF (@yaf) May 3, 2022
The double standards of the Left in FULL VIEW at this “Catholic” university. @SLU_Official @ElishaKrauss pic.twitter.com/X0R2jBJaXV
— YAF (@yaf) May 3, 2022
When Krauss and the YAF activists moved to a public sidewalk just outside the gates of the university, nearly 70 BLM and pro-abortion counter protestors arrived suddenly and began to chant leftist slogans, attempting to shut down Krauss.
Counter Protestors are now facing off against @ElishaKrauss’s YAF protest off campus. pic.twitter.com/w9agpAHv26
— YAF (@yaf) May 3, 2022
For nearly two hours, Krauss attempted to engage in a dialogue with them––but the leftists refused, shouting her down as a “fascist” and a “bigot.”
Protestors try to drown out @ElishaKrauss at SLU, and refuse to engage in dialogue. pic.twitter.com/U8vyCcnrpo
— YAF (@yaf) May 3, 2022
“For weeks the YAF chapter at SLU has been actively contacting SLU admin requesting a space for me to speak about the dangers of Cancel Culture,” Krauss told YAF in a statement. “After ignoring their request to go ‘play bingo,’ Comrade Jackie Weber refused to give them a space to hold an event. So, we decided, in accordance with the school code, that we would still hold the event and make it a free speech demonstration. Instead of recognizing the SLU students’ right to this, she tried to scare them off, telling them they didn’t have the right to protest.”
“Leftists refused to answer our questions,” Krauss continued. “They refused to ask us questions. But when I asked them to bring up anything in which we might disagree or what I said that was the above, they had nothing. I will continue to advocate for their rights to freedom of expression and free speech, if only they would do the same.”
Nick Baker, chairman of SLU YAF, said the university’s behavior was “shameful.”
“For a university that is ‘committed to freedom of expression,’ it is shameful that there are so many hurdles in place to prevent speakers from appearing on campus. Unfortunately, these tyrannical administrators have scared so many conservative students into hiding. Our YAF chapter is slowly but surely working to turn things around.”
This ridiculous display of intolerance by not only SLU students but administrators must be called out. Besides denying a YAF chapter official recognition, the school has thrown everything in the book at these activists––trying to expel them, attempting to ban Matt Walsh from campus, and censoring conservative flyering. Conservatives are being treated by second-class citizens, and SLU simply does not care about freedom of thought or association.
