ALBANY, NY — Last night, an event organized by students attending SUNY University at Albany (UAlbany) featuring conservative influencer Ian Haworth devolved into complete chaos as an angry socialist mob harassed attendees and stormed the school’s Campus Center Assembly Hall, ultimately shutting down the event. Mr. Haworth, who was visiting the school to speak with students about free speech on college campuses, is a conservative writer, speaker, and podcast host affiliated with Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative values on high school, college, and university campuses around the country.
Just as the event was about to begin, a large group of agitators associated with the UAlbany chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America charged into the event space, which had been reserved by the school’s TPUSA chapter for use, and aggressively shouted profanities at attendees for several hours. UAlbany University Police Department (UPD) officials attempted to safely escort attendees, the organizers, and Mr. Haworth to an undisclosed location nearby, but that location was compromised by agitators as well, and UPD officials ultimately decided to shut down the event entirely. At least two of the agitators were reportedly detained by UPD.
Mr. Haworth’s visit was funded through a grant awarded by TPUSA to the school’s chapter, but the room and food were paid for by funds derived from student tuition fees.
Footage of the incident can be viewed at bit.ly/3ZLZveG.
The following statement was issued jointly by Peter Giunta, Chairman of the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs (NYSYR), James Marci, Chairman of the New York Federation of College Republicans (NYFCR), Steven Belford, President of the UAlbany College Republicans, and Avery Middendorf, President of Turning Point USA at UAlbany in response to this incident:
“Last night’s shameful attempt by the UAlbany Young Democratic Socialists of America to shut down a student-organized event intended to educate about free speech on campus is a reminder that the frontline of the war on free speech and the first amendment is on college and university campuses across the nation. Incidents like this happen on campuses every day, with conservative students finding themselves targeted and their voices silenced, all of which often go ignored by campus officials.
After last night, the contrast couldn’t be any clearer. While conservative students, like those at the University at Albany, fight to protect and promote free speech and the first amendment, those on the left are aggressively trying to silence students whose views and values do not conform to theirs. In fact, it perfectly describes what so much of today’s youth movement on the left is all about: anger, divisiveness, and violence. There’s room for none of that in our political discourse — and we’re all old enough to recognize that screaming and stomping our feet won’t get us what we want. We’d like to thank the UAlbany University Police Department for attempting to restore order and ultimately ensuring that all students were safe. No one, irregardless of their political ideology, should ever feel threatened or be harassed as a result of their beliefs. Now more than ever, it is up to our generation to bridge the divide and restore some decency to our political discourse.”