Kristen Waggoner slams Yale after free speech panel derailed

A conservative lawyer slammed Yale University on Friday for cowering to mobs after the Ivy League school refused to condemn law students who harassed her during a free speech panel. Kristen Waggoner, general counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom, was on Yales bipartisan panel last week when more than 100 protesting students stormed in and

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A conservative lawyer slammed Yale University on Friday for “cowering to mobs” after the Ivy League school refused to condemn law students who harassed her during a free speech panel.

Kristen Waggoner, general counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom, was on Yale’s bipartisan panel last week when more than 100 protesting students stormed in and disrupted it.

The students held up signs attacking ADF before one student told a member of the conservative group that she would “literally fight you, b—h.” Panel members eventually had to be escorted out by police.

“This wasn’t a protest. This was physical intimidation and bullying that took place in the presence of Yale administration,” Waggoner told “Fox & Friends” on Friday.

“I just want to underscore the importance that Yale administrators shouldn’t be cowering to mobs. They should be insisting on embracing a culture of free speech.”

Her comments came after Yale put out a statement saying they were “in serious conversation with students about our free speech policies, expectations, and norms” — but stopped short of condemning their behavior.

Conservative lawyer Kristen Waggoner accused Yale students of harassing her during a discussion on free speech. FOX News
Waggoner accused protesters of “intimidating the other students” during a panel on free speech. Washington Free Beacon
Yale University did not comment on the alleged disruptive behavior of student protesters. Washington Free Beacon

The Ivy League school also said police were not needed to contain the protesting students.

Waggoner, a constitutional rights US Supreme Court litigator, accused Yale of “blatantly misrepresenting” what unfolded at the panel, saying she needed a police escort when she left due to the volatility and threats.

“These students were not only physically intimidating the other students and the speakers, they were pounding on the walls, blocking the exits and disrupting the event throughout,” she told the outlet.

Yale Law School invited Kristen Waggoner to speak alongside a liberal-minded lawyer. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Waggoner requested a police escort in fear of violence from student protesters. Washington Free Beacon

“It shouldn’t take place on a law student campus in the law school classroom.”

Waggoner was one of two speakers on the March 10 panel hosted by Yale Law School’s Federalist Society. The other speaker was Monica Miller from the progressive American Humanist Association.

The whole point of the panel was to show how a liberal atheist and a conservative Christian could agree on free-speech issues, according to Waggoner.

Students were apparently cursing and yelling at Waggoner during a free speech panel. Washington Free Beacon
Yale Law School insists security wasn’t necessary to calm hostile student protesters. Washington Free Beacon

During the discussion, Waggoner and Miller discussed the recent US Supreme Court case Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski, which dealt with freedom of religion and free speech on college campuses.

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