UCLA cancels Robert Spencer event, then lies and claims it actually took place

A UCLA official told the College Fix that “there is misinformation circulating that the Young America’s Foundation event at UCLA on Wednesday evening was canceled by the university. This is incorrect. The event took place in the designated location after it shifted to a closed, recorded event as proposed by the organizer and agreed to by UCLA.”

The UCLA spokeswoman is lying. I was right there on the scene. The event was canceled. Word went out on campus and on social media about the cancellation. Then YAF asked me to go to the campus, as they were going to have me meet the YAF chapter there and record a few videos. I did so, under heavy police protection, as apparently UCLA campus police were aware that the people the UCLA administration is coddling could easily have committed violent assault. This is not even close to anything that could be honestly characterized as “the event took place.” No one was allowed into the heavily guarded room except the YAF chapter students. But this is the sleight-of-hand that left-fascist university administrators use all over the country to prevent dissident voices from being heard.

It was great to meet the courageous young people who are in YAF at UCLA. The fallout continues. The usual discredited claims are being dragged out once again; there is already a campaign to have me banned (again!) from Patreon; our lawyers have dealt with this before and will deal with it again if necessary. Some accusations put these brownshirts on shaky legal ground. I’m grateful for all the legal and financial support, both of which helps keep us afloat and keep fighting against the fascists. We’ll bring you updates as warranted.

“UCLA locks doors on conservative students, preventing them from hosting pro-Israel event: YAF,” by Emma Colton, Fox News, May 19, 2024:

UCLA prevented conservative students on campus from hosting the founder of Jihad Watch, Robert Spencer, for a pro-Israel event, according to the student group.

“I am deeply disappointed in UCLA’s failure to protect our First Amendment rights,” Matthew Weinberg, chairman of UCLA Young Americans for Freedom chapter, said in a YAF press release. “All we wanted was a successful Pro-Israel event where people of all backgrounds and viewpoints can engage in the free exchange of ideas and hear a different perspective not heard across university campuses, and the school made that impossible. This is nothing but an act of pure cowardice.”

The Young American’s Foundation, a nonprofit conservative youth organization, invited Spencer to deliver a speech on Wednesday, but “the doors of the Bruin Viewpoint Room were locked,” according to YAF.

Fox News Digital previously reported that UCLA has not responded to the YAF chapter’s request to host Spencer, despite filing for approval weeks prior.

Weinberg told Fox News Digital earlier this month that he initially did not receive any word regarding the application from school leaders. He did eventually meet with administrators overseeing student engagement, but was told “there is no timeframe” for approving Spencer as a speaker.

“The fact that the school prioritizes agitators, some who aren’t even students, that are clearly violating campus policy and have been physically assaulting Jewish students, over students who engage in the free exchange of ideas like people in our chapter to me is absurd and demonstrates cowardice. It demonstrates a lack of moral clarity and this needs to be addressed,” Weinberg said earlier this month.

Weinberg said he was planning to carry on with the event and was hoping “for the best.”

On Wednesday, however, university officials told the chapter “that the event would need to be moved to a low-traffic, remote location – an unacceptable last minute change that would have significantly impacted the event’s attendance and impact,” according to YAF’s press release, which said the ordeal is “a clear violation of students’ constitutional rights.”

The group’s press release added that “for weeks, UCLA administrators have stalled the approval process in a clear attempt to ensure the event would not happen.”

University officials reportedly initially told the group that “it would be too dangerous to host an event” that holds contrary views to agitators on campus who had established an anti-Israel encampment on campus. YAF and Mountain States Legal Foundation pushed back on the school that not granting permission to host Spencer was an “unconstitutional use of the heckler’s veto.”

The conservative student group argued that legal pressure appeared to “prompt the university to reconsider” their plan to stall the event, but “unfortunately, this did not turn out to be the case.”

“While the chapter boldly withstood these attacks, and things appeared to be moving forward, there was simply nothing they could do about the locked door, which administrators refused to open.”

Fox News Digital reached out to UCLA for comment on Sunday, but did not immediately receive a reply. A school official did tell the College Fix that “there is misinformation circulating that the Young America’s Foundation event at UCLA on Wednesday evening was canceled by the university.”

“This is incorrect,” the spokeswoman said. “The event took place in the designated location after it shifted to a closed, recorded event as proposed by the organizer and agreed to by UCLA.”

Weinberg pushed back on the school’s response, saying the event never took place, while lamenting to the outlet that UCLA’s campus has become hostile to Jewish students.

“The beauty of this event is that all are welcome, and we highly encourage students with opposing viewpoints to come and ask Robert any questions they would like. After all, the only way to move forward and create peace is to have an open dialogue,” he told the College Fix.

“Bringing Robert Spencer allows us to present an alternative perspective on the Israel-Palestine conflict as well as the Israel-Hamas war that is not typically heard on college campuses,” Weinberg said.

Spencer said in YAF’s press release that schools such as UCLA are “radioactive wastelands” of left-wing politics.

“UCLA and other universities today are not institutions of higher learning; they are radioactive wastelands of hard-left indoctrination,” Spencer said….