Speaking at Georgetown University on Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions lashed out at universities for their supposed restrictions on "free speech." According to the SF Chronicle, Sessions specifically named UC Berkeley as an example of one such university, citing the recent protests and rallies against "Free Speech Week."
In Sessions' speech, he accused the university of "coddling" its students' "fragile egos," calling them out for offering counseling to students who may have felt threatened or otherwise unsettled by conservative radio host Ben Shapiro's recent appearance at the school. Sessions' sentiments in this speech echo a lot of the "free speech" arguments that have been posed by right wing pundits and provocateurs.
Somehow, miraculously, Sessions failed to mention that Berkeley spent nearly $800,000 in facilitating Milo Yiannopoulos' appearance on campus, which amounted to nothing more than a 15 minute talk and photo op. The school had worked with the Berkeley Police Department to ensure that they had enough security on hand just in case things took a turn. The Berkeley PD ended up pulling in help from
UC Berkeley spokesperson Dan Mogulof responded to Sessions' speech, saying, "Coddling is a pejorative term. Why shouldn’t a university respond to the needs and interests of its students?" The Chron reports that Mogulof went on to mention that "students on the left and the right" asked for support from the university, and they simply made a move to offer it.
The true irony in Sessions' speech is that right before he was scheduled to deliver it, dozens of Georgetown University students "took a knee" in protest, and were later joined by faculty. As the Washington Post reported, those students and faculty were later "disinvited" from attending his speech. While many Conservatives and Republicans decry liberals, the left, and other folks for desiring "safe spaces" and call them "fragile snowflakes," here, you've got the Attorney General of the United States asking for extra protection from said snowflakes — asking for a safe space of his own.
Related: Free Speech?: Milo Yiannopoulos Planned To Out Undocumented Students By Name In His Berkeley Talk