Students For Liberty condemns actions of University of California-Berkeley protesters

The world’s largest libertarian student organization with over 1,500 volunteers across the globe, Students For Liberty (SFL) today expressed concern at the recent actions of protesters at University of California-Berkeley.

On Friday, October 21st, over 100 students blocked Sather Gate (a publicly accessible bridge on UC-Berkeley’s campus) for several hours to demand that the university relocate a safe space for LGBTQ students and students of color.

Video footage appears to show the protesters blocking white students from crossing the bridge, forcing them to seek alternative routes. Students of color, meanwhile, were allowed to pass through.

Daniel Pryor, Communications Associate at Students For Liberty, said:

“Students For Liberty condemns the protesters’ decision to physically block a publicly-accessible space based on race. Regardless of what one thinks about safe spaces, this tactic is unjustifiably discriminatory and an attack on academic freedom; students can’t freely pursue education if they can’t get to class!

Such aggressive tactics create a chilling effect on free speech, and have also been condemned by UC-Berkeley students from marginalized communities.”

The actions of the UC-Berkeley protesters are the latest in a long-running trend of attacks on academic freedom on North American campuses. SFL activists are working across the world to fight for academic freedom and free speech on campus. Students For Liberty opposes all attempts to infringe upon this vital aspect of a free and open society.