In yet another example of the “anti-fascist” veto used to suppress conservative speech on a college campus, an event hosted by the College Republicans at Portland State University on Tuesday was eventually shut down by a single protester continually ringing a bell. Campus authorities, who were on the scene, said their policies did not allow them to take action because the protester didn’t get violent or destroy property.
Journalist Andy Ngo, who was assaulted by an Antifa mob in Portland in November, attended the event at Portland State Tuesday, tweeting out a series of video clips of the bell-ringing protester and noting the failure of university authorities to take any action.
The event featured blogger Michael Strickland. Strickland was there to discuss being sentenced to 40 days in jail and banned from carrying guns after he brandished his gun, for which he had a concealed carry permit, at masked left-wing protesters who he says threateningly advanced at him during a rally. Though Strickland was allowed to carry the weapon, the judge determined that brandishing the gun when protesters surrounded him was an unnecessarily provocative act.
Ahead of the College Republican event Tuesday, one protester labeled Strickland a “violent fascist.” Those gathered to hear Strickland speak didn’t have the chance because of one guy and one rather loud bell.
“Last night, College Republicans invited conservative blogger Michael Strickland to [Portland State],” Ngo wrote in the first of a series of tweets. “Event got shut down by anarchist who came w/a bell. Strickland was to speak about his conviction related to him brandishing a gun at a mob who surrounded him at a 2016 BLM protest.”
“One anarchist antifa disruptor with a bell was able to shut down the Michael Strickland [Portland States] College Republicans speech as soon as the event began. Campus police & admin were there but just stood & watched. They said they couldn’t do anything about the disrupter,” he added, providing clips of video of the incident. “The person who shut down the College Republicans Portland State event then went to the front and blocked the projector so that the speaker couldn’t play a video. This continued for more than an hour while police watched.”
“Speaker attempted to give his speech to live stream but the disruptor followed & continued ringing bell,” Ngo wrote. “[Portland State] has no policies in place to deal w/disruptions at student-organized events. Police will only intervene when there is violence or property destruction.”
Ngo followed those posts by noting that he was in fact at the 2016 event at which Strickland was arrested. While Ngo faulted Strickland for bringing his firearm to the volatile situation, he also underscored the real threat posted by the “angry protesters” carrying “sticks” and surrounding him.
“I have been mobbed & threatened by antifa for photographing them in public so I have some understanding of what Strickland probably went through. I would not carry a weapon to a volatile political protest. Still, 10 felony convictions seems excessive,” Ngo wrote. “For the record, I was a witness to the ‘16 incident that blogger Strickland was convicted over. I saw angry protesters w/sticks surround & move him out of the BLM protest before he brandished his pistol.”