Hecklers blasted music, blew whistles and shouted over Ann Coulter, ultimately derailing her speech in Myron Taylor Hall this evening.
Coulter is a controversial conservative pundit who graduated from Cornell in 1984. While at Cornell, she was a part of the Delta Gamma sorority and helped to found this very publication. She is a staunch advocate for immigration reform, and has recently focused on issues related to crime.
The Network of enlightened Women (NeW) hosted the event in Landis Auditorium. Anticipating mischief, seats were limited to those who had registered online and the event was packed with security officers.
In the days leading up to the event, the news of Coulter’s imminent visit provoked pushback. Flyers circulated on campus calling for Cornell to deplatform Coulter, and the Cornell Daily Sun printed an opinion piece titled “Ann Coulter is not Welcome Here,” inviting some pushback from alumnus and former trustee, Robert Platt. Responding to the opinion piece, Platt wrote:
…robust exchange of ideas is the heart of a Cornell education. The energy that the authors are squandering on ‘canceling’ Ann Coulter could be better placed into listening carefully to her talk and then critiquing her lecture afterwards. They could even work to invite one of her many critics — say Keith Olbermann ‘79 — to talk on campus as well. Cornell works best when we debate ideas rather than personally attack individuals.
A small protest outside Cornell’s law school preceded the event. Attendees were ushered inside by security officers. The event began with a message from the university Associate Dean of Students, Greta Kenney, warning the audience that, while applause would be tolerated, attempts to interrupt the speech would lead to removal and referral to the Office of Student Conduct.
Sarah Clark, representing Leadership Institute, then introduced Coulter, who entered from the left-hand side. As she descended the stairs, an individual in the crowd began blaring circus music on a portable speaker. Security approached the individual and, after a warning, he was removed from the event.
Coulter had time for a handful of introductory remarks about the 2022 midterm election results before the hecklers began again. Two individuals on the front left side of the auditorium began making disrupting noises. When a female event organizer approached the students to give a warning, Coulter chimed in: “why is it always girls going and talking to disruptors?” The protestors were subsequently removed.
Coulter remarked that “usually it’s bush league schools where you get the protesters…You go to a place like Harvard and, you know, they’re smart, they want to challenge you, there’s questions and answers, they want to get you.” Having spoken three times at Cornell, Coulter reflected that she has always “been able to say ‘oh, whew, my alma mater is one of the smart schools. So, if you can leave me with that impression tonight that would be really really solid.’”
Almost immediately after, another heckler stood up and began shouting “your words are violence” and “We don’t want you to speak here.” Coulter attempted to continue her remarks, but the heckler continued, “We’re not gonna listen to you, to converse with you! We don’t want your ideas here! Leave! Leave! We don’t want you here!” As the heckler was escorted out, Coulter quipped “words aren’t violence, violence is violence.”
Several more protestors stood and began shouting down Coulter. They seemed to be employing a chain tactic, beginning just as soon as the last heckler was removed, so as to continuously speak over Coulter. One individual began blowing a whistle, prompting anger from other members of the crowd, one of whom yelled “go suck Fauci’s d*ck somewhere else” at the protester.
Coulter then left the room for a few minutes as organizers brought in added security. When she returned, protestors resumed immediately. Two individuals began yelling, “No KKK! No fascist USA!” When they were rushed out, another began yelling about immigration policy.
Finally Coulter waved to the crowd and left the room, saying, “so proud of my alma mater.” The event lasted just a little more than 30 minutes, of which Coulter spoke for less than 7. As students left one audience member shouted, “I love Cornell.”
The event could fuel efforts to reinvigorate academic freedom on campus. One such initiative was recently announced by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), a nonprofit organization that advocates for academic freedom. In response to Coulter’s cancellation, ACTA associate Dr. Steve McGuire (who is also a Paul & Karen Levy Fellow in Campus Freedom) said:
If students (or others on campus) find an invited speaker’s ideas to be offensive, there are many possible responses open to them. To give a few examples: they could ignore the event, or they could attend it and ask the speaker a question or offer counterarguments. They could publish a response after the event in, for example, the campus newspaper. Another idea would be to plan a future event featuring a speaker who offers a different viewpoint.
The heckler’s veto, however, is not a legitimate form of free expression. We recommend in our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression that universities ‘Establish and enforce consequences that deter disruption of sponsored speakers, events, and classes.’ I hope that Cornell will act appropriately to protect free expression and intellectual diversity on its campus.
Cornell’s administration has thus far demonstrated a commitment to freedom of expression, refusing to cancel the Coulter event beforehand, and helping with security concerns. In her welcome address to the class of 2026, President Pollack stressed the importance of freedom of speech on campus:
You’re going to encounter a lot of new ideas here. Some of them will fascinate and inspire you. Some, you’re going to disagree with. And some, you might really hate. But what I want you to do– and it isn’t always going to be easy– is to listen to as many of them as you can. Don’t avoid people whose viewpoints you think are wrong. Don’t try to shout them down. Hear them out. Ask them questions. Put in the effort to understand their point of view.
It remains to be seen whether Cornell will punish the students involved for violating the Student Code of Conduct.
Correction: An earlier version misstated the office of Associate Dean of Students Greta Kenney.
Graphic by Nial Parmanan
