A college professor in Massachusetts who grew up under a dictatorship has exposed the anti-free speech climate on the campus where she teaches.
Professor Luana Maroja felt compelled to expose the restrictive speech at Williams College after students applauded an anti-free speech speaker. That speaker, according to Maroja, “said that colleges should write rules on stone on who can and cannot speak on campus ... He ended up saying that only factual talks can happen on campus,” Campus Reform reports.
The speaker was Reza Aslan, a board member of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), who – according to Robert Spencer with Jihad Watch – is popular with groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and has spoken at events sponsored by the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
“So, opinions cannot be expressed – only factual talks,” Moroja added, summarizing Aslan’s comments. “And again, a standing ovation from students.”
Nico Perrino of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education interviewed the biology professor on his podcast and later visited the campus himself.
“And then when I arrived and started talking with students and faculty, they spoke of a culture of fear, intimidation, and censorship,” he tells OneNewsNow. "[They basically said] to not tow the party line is to ostracize yourself on that campus.”
Perrino explains that Dr. Maroja has good reason for promoting the principles of freedom of speech. “She advocates for these principles because she knows what it’s like to not be able to express one’s self. She grew up under a dictatorship in Brazil,” he shares.
A committee of concerned professors, including Maroja, recommended adoption of the highly respected Chicago University Statement on Free Expression. Perrino says instead the school adopted a weak, ineffective policy aimed at trying to please everyone.