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‘Silenced by fear’: In wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing, BU conservatives say they’ve been marginalized
Student leaders call for greater protections for free speech and open dialogue on campus.
Boston University College Republicans are urging the university to take a stronger stand for free speech, saying conservative students have “long been marginalized, silenced by fear of social intimidation, academic penalty, or hostility.”
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A letter by the College Republicans was sent to BU President Melissa L. Gilliam on Wednesday, following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a college campus in Utah.
“His murder has shocked the nation and struck at the principle he championed most: free speech, the cornerstone of any democracy,” the letter said.
The letter said that, at BU, members feel like they can not openly affiliate with the group, and those who do are “often met with slurs and false labels.”
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“Rather than fostering intellectual diversity, the university has allowed a single ideological perspective to dominate, leaving students of differing opinions isolated,” the letter continued.
Members of the group say the celebration of Kirk’s death is prevalent on platforms like YikYak, an anonymous online platform popular among college students and Reddit.
However, the letter said, “calls to violence against those with different views are not only hateful but intolerable in a university setting.”
The letter called on the university to hold those accountable who “incite or glorify violence,” make classrooms a safe space for debate, “not indoctrination,” and provide security for College Republicans’ events.
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Phillip Wohltorf, vice president of BU College Republicans, said on Monday that the president emailed the group back on Friday, inviting them to come and talk with her. The group hopes to schedule a meeting sometime this week.
Colin Riley, a school spokesperson, said in a statement, “President Gilliam has said that every student should be comfortable sharing their personal views and expressing their political beliefs.”
Riley said the school’s policies and guidelines encourage respectful dialogue and are working to “foster civil discourse among the BU community,” even hosting controversial speakers at BU over the years.
Wohltorf says many alums, professors, and students have reached out to support the letter’s initial online posting, while others (typically anonymously) have posted against it online.
“We were trying to make the point — this is not whether you agree or disagree with Charlie Kirk — but this is the founding principles of the United States of America, which are freedom of speech and dialogue,” said Wohltorf in a call with Boston.com Monday.
Wohltorf says other students on campus are not open to discussions at this point, saying BU’s College Democrats have left their invitations for a debate unanswered.
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The group’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday evening and typically draws around 30 students—a number that has grown since last year. Wohltorf said campus security will be present, as requested in their letter to the university.
But, for many in his group, the meetings provide a “safe space” to open up about their beliefs, he says.
Many members say they don’t talk “about certain things” in class or with friends for fear of being labeled as “MAGA” or “fascist.”
The meetings are a “safe space to show up once a week and have discussions,” Wohltorf said. “That’s what this should be about.”
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