Campus police force entire room to evacuate after protesters refuse to comply with officers’ requests
WASHINGTON, D.C. — An effort Thursday night by the Georgetown University College Republicans to host climate scholars to rebut 2020 Democratic presidential candidates’ climate alarmism descended into chaos after dozens of student protesters crashed the event and continually disrupted it to the point that campus police shut down the forum and evacuated the room.
Student hosts and the climate scientists and policy experts were eventually let back into the room to complete their discussion, but the first 20 minutes of the panel was so frequently interrupted it culminated in its temporary halt as campus officers worked to gain control of the situation.
At the start of “Climate Forum: A Rebuttal,” protestors packed the room and, beginning with the introduction of the first speaker, shouted talking points, various obscenities, and hostile chants.
Despite campus free speech policies announced clearly by the hosts at the start of the event, the harassment continued. Amid the frequent disruptions, a protester dressed as a clown intermittently honked a horn.
The College Republicans called campus police, who tried to remove those interrupting the event, but the students refused to comply. They argued with the officers, refused to show the officers their student IDs, and declared the room an “open forum.”
Eventually, police had to clear the room entirely in an attempt to gain control of the situation. The hallway flooded with protestors — as well as students who appeared genuinely interested in listening to the panelists. Numerous campus administrators and even more officers arrived as the event remained postponed.
The panel finally restarted after police had blocked all but one doorway and refused entrance to anyone with signs. But some hecklers made it through, including one protester who had to be escorted out, but not before ensuring all attendees they are “on the wrong side of history.”
Meanwhile, dozens more activists slammed on and yelled through the windows, screaming for “environmental justice.” The police officers guarded the building’s entrance, but allowed the outside shouts as the discussion inside proceeded.
The event finished an hour late, with many fewer people inside than at the start.
The panel was scheduled in response to the Georgetown Institute of Politics and MSNBC hosting of a “Presidential Climate Crisis Forum” this week. Candidates including Senator Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, businessman Andrew Yang, and Senator Cory Booker will make their climate policies clear in hour-long discussions moderated by Chris Hayes and Ali Velshi.
Earlier in the day, the Georgetown University College Democrats had issued a statement “condemning” the Georgetown University College Republicans’ event as “promoting the conspiracy of climate change denial.”
Rowan Saydlowski, vice president of Georgetown University College Republicans, stated in a news release that “our goal is to provide an alternative perspective in response to the echo chamber presented by the candidates coming to our school.”
The speakers included: Marc Morano of ClimateDepot.com; Dr. Caleb Rossiter and Dr. Patrick Michaels of the CO2 Coalition; Paul Driessen of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow; and Kenny Stein of the Institute for Energy Research.
The views in this article do not represent those of the Department of Defense or the United States Army.
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