Despite calls for ruining the lives of those “outed” as participants at the rally in Charlottesville over the weekend, the president of the University of Nevada, Reno is standing firm that the First Amendment prohibits a UNR student who attended the rally from being expelled or fired for expressing his speech, no matter how hateful.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, the university confirmed one of the participants at the rally has been identified as Peter Cvjetanovic, a UNR student.
President Marc Johnson told the crowd, “The events over the weekend have really made us question the importance of the principles that this university stands for and that we exude as we strive for student success for this community. One of those principles is that we support equal opportunity and inclusion for everyone. Our students come here from all backgrounds and we support them all.”
“The second principle is that we support the fundamental values that were given to us in the Constitution of the United States, which in its first bill of right, was the right of assembly and the right to free speech,” Johnson continued. “These principles do not support any form of bigotry or hatred, which were espoused by the white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia. And therefore, we reject the principles that were espoused there.”
Johnson told reporters that he had received “many suggestions” about how the school should punish Cvjetanovic, but, ultimately, after talking to law enforcement and their legal team, UNR decided they have “no legal or constitutional basis upon which to expel him for studies or terminate him from employment.”
In another statement on Facebook, Johnson reiterated that the decision not to expel Cvjetanovic came after discussion with law enforcement, their legal staff, and the Office of Student Conduct. Johnson also reiterated the point that the First Amendment protects all speech, including speech that can make people feel uncomfortable:
The First Amendment freedom of free speech requires us all to understand that sometimes support of this freedom can be uncomfortable. It is one of the most difficult freedoms we live with. It requires us to support the right of people to express views which we sometimes vehemently disagree.
While there were some comments in support of the university’s decision, the majority of the comments in response to Johnson’s initial post on Facebook were negative:
When the post was shared on the UNR Facebook, the reaction was also mostly negative:
Since Johnson's statement, a petition to get Cvjetanovic expelled has received over 30,000 signatures. Local newspapers have also hosted op-eds by graduates to urge Johnson to rethink his decision.
With campaigns like ones by "YesYoureRacist" set on getting people in trouble in their daily lives for participating in Charlottesville, it is no doubt more schools will have to deal with how to properly "punish" people who participate in rallies off school property when school is out of session.
Thank you for supporting MRCTV! As a tax-deductible, charitable organization, we rely on the support of our readers to keep us running! Keep MRCTV going with your gift here!