On Wednesday night, Fox News host Tucker Carlson spoke with Jon Tigges, a parent who was arrested in Loudoun County on Tuesday night after refusing to leave a school board meeting where he spoke out in defense of children.
During the interview, Carlson recapped the latest events from the Loudoun County School Board meetings, where more and more parents have been getting involved in pushing back on the school district’s far-left proposals.
When asked why he was arrested, Tigges said, “As best I understand it, I was in a place that, where free speech has to happen.”
“If you want to redress your grievances about a school board, there’s no other place you can do it than in a school board meeting,” he said. “And in this case, we went on to public land, went into a public auditorium, we were there for a public forum that we were invited to, and I was signed up to give public comment. And at the end of all that, every single person there, all 500 parents, had their First Amendment rights trampled on by the Loudoun County School Board and its superintendent.”
“If they keep acting like this, they’re gonna get a revolution,” Carlson responded. “I mean, this is what happens when you ignore legitimate complaints, is people get radical. And I hope it doesn’t happen. But, you can see how it could. So in this case, these are the people who pay for Loudoun County Schools.”
WATCH:
TRANSCRIPT:
TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: Public schools in Loudoun County, Virginia, like so many schools in this country have gone insane in the last year, they’ve essentially stopped teaching. Instead, they’re indoctrinating children with creepy and poisonous racial theories, master race stuff. It’s Scary. In Loudoun County, kids are not allowed to read “To Kill A Mockingbird” anymore. Instead, they’re assigned pornographic novels and told that America is an evil, racist place. So parents in Loudoun County have been revolting against this — not just right-wingers, by the way, not just politically active people, people with kids in the schools. Why would you want your kids taught some bizarro poisonous racial theory? It’s disgusting. So last night, the school board met in Loudoun County and agreed to solicit public comments. It didn’t take that many, but those they heard weren’t very positive.
[BEGIN VIDEO]
AUDIENCE: Resign! Resign cowards! … The western culture and values that brought forth Christianity and the founding documents are being called evil and racist. … You’re not the captain, we’re your bosses, and God willing, we will return most of you to the private sector very soon. … I’m reminded [of the] tyranny of communist China, where your money is legally stolen and then used in government schools, not public schools — these are not public schools, these are government schools — like here, to indoctrinate children, against their parents. … My child is not oppressed, and don’t assume that. As long as you Marxists push your unconstitutional agenda on my child, she will not be returning back to Loudoun County schools.
[END VIDEO]
CARLSON: So the school board didn’t want to hear it. There as out of touch as most of our institutions, they just didn’t want to hear it. So they had the meeting declared an unlawful assembly. One parent called Jon Tigges, a man from the community, was arrested. Watch this.
[START VIDEO]
JON TIGGES: You guys are actually supporting the suppression of people’s rights.
POLICE OFFICER: Are you refusing to leave at this time?
TIGGES: Yes, I’m refusing to leave.
POLICE OFFICER: Alright, deputies, please arrest this individual for trespassing.
[END VIDEO]
CARLSON: So they handcuffed him and dragged him away. Didn’t want to hear from him apparently. Jon Tigges joins us now to explain what happened. Jon, thanks so much for coming on. It feels like this is, and Loudon County is the place, and this is the moment where people have just finally just had it with these scary racial theories. Tell us what happened to you. Why did they arrest you?
TIGGES: That’s a good question, Tucker. Because as best I understand it, I was in a place that, where free speech has to happen. If you want to redress your grievances about a school board, there’s no other place you can do it than in a school board meeting. And in this case, we went on to public land, went into a public auditorium, we were there for a public forum that we were invited to, and I was signed up to give public comment. And at the end of all that, every single person there, all 500 parents, had their First Amendment rights trampled on by the Loudoun County School Board and its superintendent.
CARLSON: If they keep acting like this, they’re gonna get a revolution. I mean, this is what happens when you ignore legitimate complaints, is people get radical. And I hope it doesn’t happen. But, you can see how it could. So in this case, these are the people who pay for Loudoun County Schools. The building was reserved and open until 7pm. They arrested you before 7 as I understand.
TIGGES: Yeah, actually, it was closer to about 5:45. And we were supposed to go until 7, until the school board heard something they didn’t like. And which was ironically applause for one of the people that we were supporting, Senator Dick Black. And the net result was they shut it down. But there was not violence. There wasn’t crazy going on. People stayed there, they actually started singing, and then we just encouraged folks that if the school board didn’t want to hear it, we were going to hear from one another. And we allowed a very orderly, peaceful process of allowing people to actually start speaking, and they did that, they lined up and peacefully started presenting their perspectives, and we allowed the other side to do the same. And then suddenly, it was declared an unlawful assembly after the thing that you’re showing right now occurred which, as best I can tell, was a complete leftist diversionary tactic that was pre-planned, because no one that was lined up to speak was involved in any of that. So the net result was they declared an unlawful assembly, and then they moved a whole series of prepositioned deputies and tried to push them out of the room, threatening them all with arrest.
CARLSON: So they didn’t like what you had to say, so they declared your talking illegal, and then they got these stooge cops, who should be ashamed of themselves, to arrest you for the crime of saying something the school board didn’t like? Am I missing anything?
TIGGES: That’s correct. No, you’re not missing anything. And, and that’s what’s so infuriating is there’s such a high standard for free speech. You know, it is the most sacred of all of our rights. And it takes an amazing amount of justification to shut down free speech.
CARLSON: Yeah, it does. And it’s, you know, not liking it is not adequate justification. I hope you keep getting arrested, Jon. I mean that because I think only until people are willing to be arrested for exercising their constitutional rights will those rights be protected. And I appreciate what you did in coming on tonight. Thank you.