On Jan. 20, a conservative speaking event at Dartmouth College featuring Andy Ngo was canceled just before its scheduled start due in part to alleged threats of extremist left-wing violence. Ngo has challenged the violent and hateful ideology of the Antifa movement, and the events at Dartmouth prove that he is correct to raise alarms — and that governments and universities are allowing terrorists to rule universities and city streets alike.

John Klar

As America’s ascendant far-left strengthens its dominance, the erstwhile free-speech bastions of the nation’s universities continue to crumble. This is unsurprising, since these liberal propaganda entities have served as the petri dishes for this new rabid anti-Americanism, including the harmful ideologies of critical race theory and other “social justice” agitation. The same Ivy League institutions that puked out the eugenics movement are fostering and nurturing similar untested extremism today.

Dartmouth College now joins Vermont’s Middlebury College, and the University of Vermont, as examples of public institutions unable or unwilling to safeguard students’ physical safety and constitutional liberties. Instead, they are establishing a pattern of bowing before lawless, violent extremism, while denying basic student rights of free speech and assembly to the peaceful.

Dartmouth allegedly has a history of supporting Antifa-type extremism. As noted in GraniteGrok: “But this is Dartmouth. A few years ago visiting Professor Mark Bray published a book justifying the use of violence by Antifa that was supported by at least 100 Dartmouth professors.”

According to many unhappy with this once-venerable institution, “Violence is a key ingredient in the pursuit of the progressive utopia. That’s why they haven’t got anything to say against it.”

Indeed, Dartmouth does not appear to have a single word to say against the alleged threats against Andy Ngo and attendees.

In a public explanation for the cancellation, Dartmouth’s Associate Vice President for Communications Diana Lawrence did not condemn the horrible death threats in the “Live Free or Die” state:

“In light of concerning information from Hanover police regarding safety issues, similar concerns expressed by the College Republican leadership, and challenges with the student organization’s ability to staff a large public event and communicate effectively (including dissemination of the visitor policy and a prohibition on bags in the building), the college has requested that the ‘Extremism in America’ panel be moved online,” Lawrence said.

But this Dartmouth official did communicate criticisms of the College Republicans and seek to shift responsibility to the student hosts for cancellation. The college has not stated what these “deficiencies in communication” were — as a planned attendee, this writer was fully informed of these restrictions beforehand, as when similar thuggery was attempted at Dartmouth when Madison Cawthorne spoke there in October. Presumably those hosting events in future who are threatened should not report the threats to the police or administration — they will be used to cancel the event and punish the victims rather than stand up to thuggery.

Since the use of violent threats to intimidate conservatives are either patently or passively encouraged by Dartmouth, it is unsurprising that such threats have escalated. The Dartmouth College Republicans are scheduled to host the brilliant writer and social commentator James Lindsay in the near future — perhaps the administration should simply announce an “online only” policy for conservative events. It should also publicly announce that conservative students should not apply to its once-hallowed halls for admission: it can guarantee protection of neither their physical safety nor their basic human rights.

Diana Lawrence stated:

“Dartmouth prizes and defends the right of free speech and the freedom of the individual to make their own disclosures, while at the same time recognizing that such freedom exists in the context of the law and in responsibility for one’s own actions. The exercise of these rights must not deny the same rights to any other individual. The institution therefore both fosters and protects the rights of individuals to express dissent,” Lawerence said. “Protest or demonstration shall not be discouraged so long as neither force nor the threat of force is used, and so long as the orderly processes of the institution are not deliberately obstructed.”

Translation: the event was canceled because protesters threatened violence: the criminals won. The “orderly processes of the institution” were deliberately obstructed, to the extent they are not in fact a shield for extremism; those “orderly processes” are patently deficient in protecting the rights of all, or the rule of law.

Antifa thugs won the Dartmouth day. They threatened violence against peaceful, lawful speakers: “When you enter our home you play by our rules, not yours,” the Northeast Antifa social media account posted. “New England is anti-fascists, and we will hold that line till death.”

According to a report in NHJournal, “the Green Mountain John Brown Gun Club stated online it ‘called up reserves’ of Antifa super soldiers to be on hand for the event. A member of a Portland, Ore. Antifa group, Jonathan Dylan Chase, offered money for anyone who managed to assault Ngo during his Dartmouth appearance.”

The stated purpose of this hate group is to prevent free, protected speech using intimidation and violence. Dartmouth College has not condemned this group or its threats. Instead, it canceled the student Republicans’ event, bowing to Antifa fascism.

In an email, Diana Lawrence stated “The event was not [sic] cancelled. It was moved online and 177 people participated.” This must be the ‘separate but equal’ standard that now applies at Dartmouth. There is little legal precedent as to whether government institutions can supplant rights of assembly and speech with online platforms, and surely many more people would have attended the live event — had their rights not been curtailed.

It appears that Dartmouth College supports that mission; it claims the people of New Hampshire are white supremacists, and that the nation’s laws and Constitution constitute right-wing extremism. Doesn’t it?

Thanks to Dartmouth College’s Andy Ngo cancellation, Antifa and those threatening violence — using constitutionally unprotected hate speech — were victorious. As Andy Ngo immediately proclaimed:

“The administration canceled the event and gave the student organizers the choice of holding a last-minute zoom meeting or nothing at all,” Ngo told NHJournal Thursday night. “An event on violent extremism was threatened by violent extremists. It’s a cliche. Why did the College wait until two hours before the event to drop the ultimatum on organizers and speakers? Dartmouth College’s decision actually gives a blueprint for extremists to shut down future events.”

The ivy has wilted on the walls of Dartmouth College. It has joined an ugly, freedom-despising League.

John Klar is an attorney and farmer residing in Brookfield. © Copyright True North Reports 2022. All rights reserved.