Madison, WI – On November 6, nearly 80 students and community members gathered outside Shannon Hall on the University of Wisconsin (UW) campus to protest the reactionary Ben Shapiro's visit. The focus of the protest was squarely on Palestine and on trans rights, both issues which Shapiro has disgusting views on and both topics which the university and the Wisconsin state government have a checkered record on.

The crowd chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “When trans rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” Several speeches from the host organizations were sprinkled in between the chants. A key point in the speech made by Zade Dallman of the Trans Resistance Action Committee was to point of the hypocrisy of UW administration.

“Tell me, what is welcoming about letting someone who has openly and proudly supported the genocide of the Palestinian people? What is inclusive about a campus community that allows someone who actively aims to invalidate and attack the trans community?” Dallman queried. “What kind of message is the university sending when they allow someone with such hateful views to speak and spread his bigotry which in turn directly contributes to the formation of discriminatory laws and bans that inflict further harm onto already vulnerable communities, as well as also encouraging physical violence against them?”

Dallman concluded, “This is our city, our campus, and our community and we are saying no to their hate! We are strong, we are resilient, and like we have always done, we will persevere. Their hate may burn hot but it burns quick. They will eventually fade away and when that happens, we will still be here, standing strong and standing together ready to replace them.”

While the rally was going on outside, a contingent of students representing both Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UW and the UW-Milwaukee branch of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), in addition to a few community members, infiltrated the event. While Shapiro spoke, they held up their hands which were painted red to represent the Palestinian blood on the hands of Shapiro and the UW administration.

“Providing a platform to a racist like Ben Shapiro to spread hatred and bigotry directly contributes to a rise in things like homophobia, transphobia and Islamophobia,” said Patricia Fish of UWM SDS, one of the students who went inside the event, in comments made afterward. “And those ideas lead people to take violent actions, such as we've seen with the many mass shootings which target trans and other queer people and also the brutal stabbing death of the baby Palestinian boy in Illinois. UW should be ashamed!”

UW Dean of Students Christina Olstad told the crowd at the start of the speaking event that anyone who attempted to disrupt the racist Shapiro from speaking would be dealt with “swiftly and severely.” As a result, the nearly 20 protesters were constantly threatened with arrest throughout the speaking engagement despite simply standing with their hands raised. When the speaking concluded, the protesters began chanting as they filed out of the space.

The rally outside was organized by the UW Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) and co-hosted by the Trans Resistance Action Committee (TRAC). A follow-up campus action for Palestine is being planned for November 9 in alignment with the National Day of Action being hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine and others.

#MadisonWI #Palestine #LGBTQ #BenShapiro #SDS #SJP #TRAC

Falcon Heights, MN – Roughly 50 University of Minnesota students and community members gathered on Monday, Feb. 26, to protest the presence of far-right provocateur and former Breitbart News editor-at-large, Ben Shapiro, on the Saint Paul campus. The protest, organized by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), demanded an end to hate speech on campus and an end to hosting such speakers with university student service fees, which are paid by all students.

The counter-protest follows national calls within national SDS to oppose speakers like Shapiro, Betsy DeVos, Milo Yiannopoulos and others, demanding that they be opposed wherever they go. As such, Shapiro is no stranger to SDS – University of Utah SDS mobilized over 400 people to demand an end to hate speech on Sept. 27, 2017 in response to a speaking engagement of Shapiro on the University of Utah campus.

Amidst chants of “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Ben Shapiro, go away,” protesters and speakers, most prominently from SDS and the Queer Student Cultural Center, called for utilizing university funds for progressive, community-focused efforts instead of lining the pockets of top paid administrators and giving the most reactionary groups on campus tens of thousands of dollars with which to invite in racist, homophobic, and transphobic hate speakers like Ben Shapiro.

These and other demands were made as the crowd seized the only entrance to Shapiro’s event, scaring off many potential attendees and surrounding others with chants and demands as they walked up, all before leading a quick march around the Saint Paul campus of the university to demand “hate speech off campus now!”

#FalconHeightsMN #BreitbartNews #altright #BenShapiro

Salt Lake City – 400 people gathered to protest Ben Shapiro’s speaking spot, Sept. 27, on the University of Utah Campus. The protest was led by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Black Lives Matter-SLC with the demand that hate speech has no place on campus and would be met with counter-protest. Ian Decker of SDS wrote a letter to the editor of the Salt Lake Tribune and said, “We have no shame in saying that we intend to shut down Ben Shapiro.”

Ben Shapiro is an infamous right-wing conservative and a former editor-at-large of Breitbart News. He has called transgender people mentally ill, he is against marriage equality, and recently defended conversion therapy targeting gay people.

Lex Scott of Black Lives Matter commented, “Racism in 2017 looks very much like a white man rationalizing the death of a black man at the hands of police…Ben Shapiro is a racist and to you he may look like a more subtle racist, and therefore you excuse it. We won’t.”

The rally marched through the University of Utah campus to where Shapiro was speaking. The protesters were met with dozens of police surrounding the building, protecting Shapiro. The rally continued and people chanted, “U of U let's be clear, Shapiro is not welcome here!” as hundreds gathered to hear speeches.

Shapiro watched the rally while guarded by police behind a barricade. Later he started his speech defensively reading SDSer Ian Decker's letter and poorly responding to it. Half way through his event, Shapiro’s microphone cut out and the chants from outside could be heard clearly.

Decker wrapped up the rally saying, “Ben Shapiro represents the status quo of war, racism and poverty. We don't owe the status quo a respectful discussion and platform. That's why we're here today.” The attendees marched back together to President's Circle and ended the rally on a high note.

#SaltLakeCityUT #SDS #Antiracism #BlackLivesMatter #BenShapiro #UniversityOfUtah