At Boston University, Conservative Agitator Ben Shapiro Gives Talk Amid Protests, Criticisms

Ben Shapiro, the editor-in-chief of the far-right Daily Wire news site, was invited to speak at Boston University by a conservative youth activist organization called Young Americans for Freedom.

In the weeks ahead of Shapiro's campus appearance Wednesday night, several groups protested his invitation to speak.

BU Today's Joel Brown and Amy Laskowski covered Shapiro's speech and students' responses to it. They wrote, in part:

Perhaps surprising some in the audience, Shapiro spent much of his talk outlining the history of American opposition to what he acknowledged as the horrors of slavery and the evils of Jim Crow. But by the end of his speech he derided the idea that “every single problem in America today is based on slavery,” asking, “Are teens in Chicago today killing each other at rapid rates because of slavery?”

“Freedom is what makes America unique, not slavery,” said Shapiro, editor-in-chief of the far-right Daily Wire news website, a former Breitbart editor, and host of The Ben Shapiro Show podcast. And he said that America is “one of the least racist multiracial countries today,” citing Barack Obama’s two terms as president.

His appearance was hosted by the Boston University chapter of the conservative youth activism organization Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) and presented by the Young America’s Foundation Fred Allen Lecture Series.

In the days leading up to the event, students, faculty, staff, and parents of students weighed in on Shapiro’s appearance at BU. There were angry comments on Twitter and Facebook, as well as a number of small protests around campus and letters posted on Twitter.

The debate mostly broke into two camps, with opponents arguing that Shapiro’s words and messages were both hateful and hurtful and that he was not deserving of a platform at the same University that includes Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59), Howard Thurman (Hon.’67), and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel (Hon.’74) among its alumni and faculty. Others, however, countered that Shapiro represents a new voice for young progressive conservatives and that those opposing his speech were exaggerating his views or were unwilling to hear alternative viewpoints.

For more on Shapiro's speech and reactions to it, read the full story published by BU Today. Additionally, below are tweets from scenes inside and outside the event from WBUR's Quincy Walters: