UC Berkeley Alumni and Students Disrupt Chancellor Carol Christ and Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Event on Free Speech
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On March 25, 2024, an event at UC Berkeley featuring Chancellor Carol Christ and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the topic of “Free Speech in Higher Education” was disrupted by members of the San Francisco Bay Area CODEPINK chapter, along with UC Berkeley students and alumni. The disruption highlighted the controversial backgrounds of both speakers and their roles in curtailing free speech and perpetuating human rights abuses.
Organizers distributed flyers at the event to raise awareness about what they described as Christ and Rice’s “crimes against free speech and humanity.”
Audience members took turns standing up to voice their objections, mainly targeting Rice for her involvement in the Bush administration, which led to the deaths of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians. They also raised concerns about Rice’s leadership at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, because of her enabling of the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
Chancellor Christ faced criticism for her handling of free speech issues on campus, particularly about Palestinian students. Attendees denounced the UC Berkeley administration’s actions, alleging that it had criminalized students for protesting the invitation of an IDF soldier to campus and issued threats to faculty who discussed Palestine or encouraged walkouts during class. They cited the recent demolition of a non-violent blockade erected by the student group Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine as an example of the administration’s suppression of dissenting voices.
Event staff threatened each audience member who stood up with detainment and escorted them out of the building.
The disruption underscores ongoing tensions surrounding free speech and human rights on college campuses, particularly regarding controversial speakers and topics. It also highlights the activism and dissent among students and alums at UC Berkeley and the broader San Francisco Bay Area community.
FLYER DISTRIBUTED AT DISRUPTION:
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