We have seen conservative and pro-life groups attacked on campuses across the country, including by faculty members (here and here). The latest such example is at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where a young man tosses a pro-life display while declaring, “I f**king hate you.”
Students for Life of America has reportedly identified the student as Adrian Miguelez.
To its credit, the school is pledging action:
“UNC Asheville is investigating the recent incident at Highsmith Student Union. Student safety is a top priority. UNC Asheville takes all allegations of student conduct violations seriously and addresses them in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Student Code of Responsibility.”
I hope so because we have seen case after case where universities fail to take action or order meaningless measures. This is not just an effort to stop the exercise of free speech, it is a form of political violence.
Conservative sites report that “a photo of Miguelez on the student government webpage appears to match the image of the young man in the video.” The profile with the photo declared opposition to “assaults on diversity and cultural programs” and says that Miguelez is “passionate about true justice.”
In the short video, posted by Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins on X, the student is shown saying “I f—ing hate you, I f—ing hate you.”
Universities must act in such cases with clarity and consistency. This warrants, at a minimum, a suspension of the student for engaging in political violence on campus. This is not speech, it is conduct.
I will be speaking at the University of North Carolina next week on the Chapel Hill campus. I will also be meeting with student groups on campus on Tuesday to discuss free speech before the event on Wednesday.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
S Meyer.
I put in a reply to your last post on comment page 2 yesterday evening but it still has not appeared on JT’s blog on comment page 2. The current comment page is # 3. I think WordPress may have a problem adding comments to a comment page which is not the last or the processing of comment is painfully slow even when not in US & Canada business hours. I will try again but on comment page 3 after this one.
CM
I think there is a synching problem with your email. I don’t know if I saw your reply or not. It would be best to include the blog title and the beginning two sentences when you reply like this. Page numbers alone are not helpful.
My last response to you was at: https://jonathanturley.org/2025/03/29/i-fking-hate-you-unc-student-trashes-pro-life-table-in-latest-campus-attack/ . I copied a portion of my response. I did not see a reply.
—–
You’re engaging in BS rhetoric, attempting to change the subject. I’ll temporarily play along, but we will return to the discussion shortly.
Antisemitism, in its ugliest forms, reflects the following:
1. Double Standards
2. Stereotyping
3. Conspiracy Theories
4. Denying Jewish Identity or History
5. Demonization
6. Dehumanization
S Meyer.
Definitely a synching problem. My email notification to your above reply reached my inbox @ 02:28 AM AEST 04 April. This is 03:28PM GMT and I don’t know what time in your time zone and may not be near the time at which you submitted it. Exchanging current time zone information would be a good idea and the Summer/Winter switch in various nations has happened or is near.
We are not communicating by email but by exchanging replies on JT’s blog. If one selects email notification for comments on a post on JT’s blog you get notification sometimes after the comment is submitted and this may be quite a long time delay. This method of communication obviously contains a very long delay. I was not aware that my comment to which you have now replied had appeared on the blog until just before I started writing this reply. I suggest we exchange real email addresses, set up a temporary gmail or hotmail address the spamming of which does not worry you to exchange a real email address. My address cmoulton49@optusnet.com.au only contains info from my ISP. I don’t care if it gets spammed. Email me a real address with the spamming of which you are OK and I will reply including my normal email address.
I believe we will always remain far apart on the Israel/Palestine issue but that does not mean exchanging ideas on it is a bad idea. Thinking is not an individual act. The thinking of someone stranded alone on a desert island would be impaired. Thinking is a multi-person cooperative act and one person’s thoughts trigger new chains in the minds of others. I am beginning to suspect that my subconscious harbors otherisms of which I am unaware. An automatic censor mechanism may exist in the homo sapiens brain that filters what a member of the species can put into words. Talking with a person with whom one disagrees may be more valuable than with one whose thoughts are compatible.
It has taken me at least 14 minutes to compose this comment. It is 14:46 AEDST 03:46 GMT 4/04/2025 as I prepare to submit this comment.
Regards Carlyle Moulton.
Moulton, I don’t know or understand what’s happening, but I am getting emails from the blog, including what you wrote. I can link to your message on the blog through the email received. Though time zones don’t affect the speed or ability to affect blog transmissions on my end, my ISP and programs ensure I get them the same way from everyone with a time stamp based on where I am. I do not believe there is any reason to use our private email accounts.
“I believe we will always remain far apart on the Israel/Palestine issue but that does not mean exchanging ideas on it is a bad idea.”
Based on this comment, I don’t know if you received my last message or if you want a true dialogue, which is easy. One states a point, and the other agrees or disagrees, attaching a reason and proof if needed. If one is unable to perform this above task, it means they do not wish for a meaningful discussion and are fixed in their position based on emotions rather than truth.
I will repost my last replies on the subject at hand. You can reply to it if you wish or not reply. I am not concerned with how people think unless it deals with the discussion, and since I am getting all the messages, I am not concerned with any malfunctions on the net.
—
[4/02/25] ” I agree to use your meaning of antisemitism but we then lack a word to mean hatred, hostility and prejudice against Arabs, Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians. “
You’re engaging in BS rhetoric, attempting to change the subject. I’ll temporarily play along, but we will return to the discussion shortly.
Antisemitism, in its ugliest forms, reflects the following:
1. Double Standards
2. Stereotyping
3. Conspiracy Theories
4. Denying Jewish Identity or History
5. Demonization
6. Dehumanization
These are some indicators of antisemitic discrimination, and based on what I’ve read and heard from you, I believe you’re well acquainted with them.
As for your example with Syrians, you could say ‘anti-Syrian bigotry,’ but which Syrians are you referring to: pre-Assad, Assad, or post-Assad? How do the six indicators above involve Syrians? Do you see the problem?
Knowing and understanding the subject matter is essential before making the widespread claims in your arguments.
Let’s return to the discussion where indiscriminate claims were being thrown around.
—
And the message before leaving out the problems that have to do with technology.
—
[3/31/25] Mouton, I am responding anew because when I reply to your last post things on my side go screwy. Here is my response.
“There are different causes for different genocides.”
First, Moulton, let’s get our definitions so everyone knows what we are discussing. Merriam Webster: Genocide: the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group. The Gazan population is rapidly increasing, not shrinking, confirming there is no genocide.
” One source is colonial settlement. ”
The Jews are indigenous to the region. Therefore, they are not a colonial nation and had a kingdom there in ancient times.
“Every empire has many genocides ”
Your problem is pontification and the belief you can make up whatever definition you wish. It is better to deal with existing facts rather than creating your own.
” My consciousness of the Christian gospels is that the anti-Jewish message was stronger than the propagation of wokeness.”
Read a brief explanation of Vatican 2
.
“was Hitler himself an antisemite or was he just a ruthless politician?”
Read his writing. Without question, he was an antisemite. You might not be, and your statements might be designed to cause an argument over something you are unfamiliar with where you have learned only one side.
“genocide against those we call First Nations Australians and that its extent and intensity was much greater than can be proven and similar to what has occurred in Israel/Palestine since the last decade of the nineteenth century.”
I can’t discuss Australian history, but it differs entirely from Israel/Palestine. The Jews are Indigenous, so they more closely represent First Nations Australians. Palestinians, post-Russian involvement, are Muslims (Before that, the Jews were known as the Palestinians.) Mohammad was born in 570 AD, long after the Torah was given to Moses, and the Jews settled in the area that today is known as Israel. You have things backward.
When the state of Israel was born through war, the Jews didn’t throw the Muslims out. The leaders previously allied with Hitler to annihilate the Jews and told them to leave the land of Israel. Boundaries were suggested before the war and created during the war. Israel accepted all boundaries. The Arabs did not and, after each successive war, refused to acknowledge Israel’s existence even though Israel was willing to trade land for peace. The last land exchange attempt by Israel to garner peace was when, in 2005, they gave the Gazans Gaza without anything in exchange, leaving them all the wealth-building things that the Arabs promptly destroyed.
There is a significant disparity in population and land. Israel represents the tiniest fraction of land in the Middle East, with its narrowest point beyond the West Bank being about 10 miles wide. It is one of the most indefensible positions possible. The population disparity is even more significant. Every country around Israel has a greater population than the Jewish population of Israel. Lebanon is the only population that is about the same size as the Jewish population of Israel. The Muslim world is about 2,000,000,000, and the Jewish population is about 15,000,000 (2 Billion to 15 million). Look at the disparity and remember the population of Jews in the 1948 war was tiny compared to today, with almost no weaponry, no Tanks and no airforce against all surrounding nations attacking them with tanks and an airforce. Logically, who do you think was the aggressor?
“I see what is Israel is doing as a colonial settler state genocide”
Read above, and after you better understand history and numbers, restate your comment or provide an argument to show Israel as a colonial settler state or engaged in genocide. The Holocaust existed in the Middle East, where Hitler-aligned Muslims were engaged in the Holocaust against the Jews, genocide. This event is well documented on paper and in video. The antisemites try to turn things around but have no such documentation.
“This means that we are mostly talking past each other. ”
We are not talking past each other. You don’t know the history of either party, yet based on antisemitic literature, you opine with the same antisemitism that you read.
“Notice our conversation is getting better and more civil.”
I don’t recall being uncivil to you. Can you quote a statement to demonstrate the incivility you are suggesting?
“In your reply send me a link to one article that you believe supports one of your answers and I will read it and try to rebut.”
I am not interested in rebutting an article. Tell me your interpretation and provide a link to the proof showing the location. I can do the same if needed. This history is primarily black and white.
—-
On another subject, I am curious about what your father taught you about the Torah, which is the essence of Judaism. Your introduction to the Torah was through your father. We can discuss his opinion and why you feel the way you do.
S Meyer
I received the email notifications for two comments of yours but cannot find them on my Firefox system logged on to WordPress. This may be just a case of WordPress taking time to update what is visible. Some of my posts have not become visible to me until well after I posted them. I cannot have sent you any emails because I don’t yet know your email address. My cmoulon49 address has at the moment 16:01 AEDST which is GMT 05:01 01 April only has messages from my ISP optusnet.com.au. This is the only thing I use it for so do not care if it gets spammed.
Maintaining Windows is difficult for a home user because so many weird bit of information are hidden in the registry. A Windows user should be very careful what free programs one downloads and avoid replying to emails or clicking links from unknown web sites and one really needs up to date virus protection.
May I suggest trying one of the versions of LINUX. I have been using Fedora Linux now for 13 years ever since my Windows XP system disintegrated. There are multiple varieties to try Debian, Mint, Suze, Ubuntu and others that I unaware of or the names of which I cannot at the moment recall . It is open source so when sometimes someone tries to introduce a trapdoor there are very many eyeballs to notice it. Actually there was an attempt to do so recently. Windows is closed source so only very skilled programmers who have developed their knowledge of Windows beyond what is publicly available can detect malware and it often is not fixed until well after the finder notifies Microsoft. Linux has only about 10% of the market and most of that is in fairly sizeable businesses who run servers.so scammers do not devote resources to attacking the much smaller number of home users. There are a lot of good opensource applications that come standard with a Linux install and others can be found by googling type of software free Linux. I use Libre office for all office functions and other things like drawing, and maths can be downloaded. The organizations that produce these applications request donations and paying once for what a year’s access to the equivalent Microsoft application is well worth it. The other way to support them is by notifying bugs that you find. Every application has bug notification sites that Google will find for you. There also is Open Office from which Libre Office is a “fork”. “Fork” is Linux/Unix speak for writing completely new new software to duplicate and hopefully improve the existing functions of the parent software. Programmers can never form a guild or cartel like architects, engineers, medicos and lawyers because programming is fun so many do it for free.
Cognitive dissonance is the emotion that one feels when receiving a statement that contradicts some deeply held belief that is part of one’s world view. Every member of species homo sapiens has a world view and this is mostly created by the culture in which that one is immersed. Do fish know about the water that they swim in, culture is invisible to humans as water is to fish and air is to us. We only notice air when a strong wind is blowing or we have problems breathing. I am sure that my statement on Israel/Palestine cause you cognitive dissonance just as yours cause it to me. I do not believe that either of us is going to change the other’s mind but that is no reason to stop talking. I do most of my thinking when posting on blogs. It is good practice in honing the ability to express thoughts in words. I believe that I have become a reasonably effective communicator first by sending sarcastic rants to newspaper’s letters columns and today on blogs. They are not acceptable though to most of the Turley blog commentariat.
“I received the email notifications for two comments of yours but cannot find them on my Firefox system logged on to WordPress.”
Moulton that is one of the problems I am having with your emails and no one else’s. If you send something with my name, I will respond or indicate that the reply was seen from my end. In that way, we can reduce the confusion.
“May I suggest trying one of the versions of LINUX. ”
I appreciate your help. I stick to Apple and do not worry about the computer I use for everyday things. For business, I have more than one. One is rarely connected to specific secure computers for security reasons and never directly to the Internet. The other is an intermediary, also with limited access to others. All plugs are pulled except when the computers are needed.
“Cognitive dissonance is the emotion that one feels when receiving a statement that contradicts some deeply held belief that is part of one’s world view.”
Anything is possible but unlikely in my case. Discussion is no different from science, where one should be skeptical, curious and willing to question assumptions while recognizing there is no final truth. However, one must also be willing to draw a conclusion based on the best evidence available. You are using faulty evidence and non-standard definitions, protecting yourself from being precise.
Mouton, I am responding anew because when I reply to your last post things on my side go screwy. Here is my response.
“There are different causes for different genocides.”
First, Moulton, let’s get our definitions so everyone knows what we are discussing. Merriam Webster: Genocide: the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group. The Gazan population is rapidly increasing, not shrinking, confirming there is no genocide.
” One source is colonial settlement. ”
The Jews are indigenous to the region. Therefore, they are not a colonial nation and had a kingdom there in ancient times.
“Every empire has many genocides ”
Your problem is pontification and the belief you can make up whatever definition you wish. It is better to deal with existing facts rather than creating your own.
” My consciousness of the Christian gospels is that the anti-Jewish message was stronger than the propagation of wokeness.”
Read a brief explanation of Vatican 2.
“was Hitler himself an antisemite or was he just a ruthless politician?”
Read his writing. Without question, he was an antisemite. You might not be, and your statements might be designed to cause an argument over something you are unfamiliar with where you have learned only one side.
“genocide against those we call First Nations Australians and that its extent and intensity was much greater than can be proven and similar to what has occurred in Israel/Palestine since the last decade of the nineteenth century.”
I can’t discuss Australian history, but it differs entirely from Israel/Palestine. The Jews are Indigenous, so they more closely represent First Nations Australians. Palestinians, post-Russian involvement, are Muslims (Before that, the Jews were known as the Palestinians.) Mohammad was born in 570 AD, long after the Torah was given to Moses, and the Jews settled in the area that today is known as Israel. You have things backward.
When the state of Israel was born through war, the Jews didn’t throw the Muslims out. The leaders previously allied with Hitler to annihilate the Jews and told them to leave the land of Israel. Boundaries were suggested before the war and created during the war. Israel accepted all boundaries. The Arabs did not and, after each successive war, refused to acknowledge Israel’s existence even though Israel was willing to trade land for peace. The last land exchange attempt by Israel to garner peace was when, in 2005, they gave the Gazans Gaza without anything in exchange, leaving them all the wealth-building things that the Arabs promptly destroyed.
There is a significant disparity in population and land. Israel represents the tiniest fraction of land in the Middle East, with its narrowest point beyond the West Bank being about 10 miles wide. It is one of the most indefensible positions possible. The population disparity is even more significant. Every country around Israel has a greater population than the Jewish population of Israel. Lebanon is the only population that is about the same size as the Jewish population of Israel. The Muslim world is about 2,000,000,000, and the Jewish population is about 15,000,000 (2 Billion to 15 million). Look at the disparity and remember the population of Jews in the 1948 war was tiny compared to today, with almost no weaponry, no Tanks and no airforce against all surrounding nations attacking them with tanks and an airforce. Logically, who do you think was the aggressor?
“I see what is Israel is doing as a colonial settler state genocide”
Read above, and after you better understand history and numbers, restate your comment or provide an argument to show Israel as a colonial settler state or engaged in genocide. The Holocaust existed in the Middle East, where Hitler-aligned Muslims were engaged in the Holocaust against the Jews, genocide. This event is well documented on paper and in video. The antisemites try to turn things around but have no such documentation.
“This means that we are mostly talking past each other. ”
We are not talking past each other. You don’t know the history of either party, yet based on antisemitic literature, you opine with the same antisemitism that you read.
“Notice our conversation is getting better and more civil.”
I don’t recall being uncivil to you. Can you quote a statement to demonstrate the incivility you are suggesting?
“In your reply send me a link to one article that you believe supports one of your answers and I will read it and try to rebut.”
I am not interested in rebutting an article. Tell me your interpretation and provide a link to the proof showing the location. I can do the same if needed. This history is primarily black and white.
—-
On another subject, I am curious about what your father taught you about the Torah, which is the essence of Judaism. Your introduction to the Torah was through your father. We can discuss his opinion and why you feel the way you do.
S Meyer.
I have a partial reply to this post of yours but not as a reply at April 1, 2025 at 2:16 AM. I will read your above in full but by send my response to each point separately. We are probably in different time zones, mine is GMT + 11 at the moment but will be GMT + 9 after next Saturday.
CM.
OK
Greetings S Meyer.
Actually I should have used “UK time zone” instead of “GMT” in my previous comment. The difference between my time zone and any in the Northern hemisphere fluctuates by 2 hours twice yearly. In the Southern Summer solstice half of the year I am more able to converse with Turley commentators than in the Winter solstice part.
In the last few years I have spent a lot of time thinking about miscommunication between humans. This occurs because words in any language are slippery slimy things and we lose grip on their meanings, this is why law is both a necessary evil but also appears more evil than necessary. With time the effect of a law can switch from its original purpose 180 degrees to an opposite effect when a clever lawyer manages to make an argument based on changed emphasis in the meanings of words. Consider the case in the UK of Australian footballer Samantha Kerr being tried for anti-white racism against a white met officer. The Guardian has many articles on this. I believe that both the complainant and Kerr genuinely believed that they and only they were the true victims of prejudice and I consider that it is wrong to side with either.
Any conversation between humans should begin with a preamble in which two agree on the important words and all the meanings explicit and implied of each one. I agree to use your meaning of antisemitism but we then lack a word to mean hatred, hostility and prejudice against Arabs, Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians. Antisemitism is real and its strength has fluctuated over time. After World War II it lessened but now because of current events it is on the rise. Until recently it was a White and mainly Christian prejudice but now many nonwhites and Muslims have joined in. In the US there used to be a Jewish-Negro alliance against racism but that (I believe) has broken down.
According to Ludwig Wittgenstein the universe consists of facts not things. Facts exist but humans don’t have direct access to them, only to ones own opinions and those of experts whom one trusts. IANAL so I misunderstand many legal facts but may partially understand JT’s and other Turley commenters’ explanations.
Enough for the moment I have slept most of the day and now must do all of the things that I should have been doing earlier.
Regards Carlyle Moulton.
” I agree to use your meaning of antisemitism but we then lack a word to mean hatred, hostility and prejudice against Arabs, Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians. “
You’re engaging in BS rhetoric, attempting to change the subject. I’ll temporarily play along, but we will return to the discussion shortly.
Antisemitism, in its ugliest forms, reflects the following:
1. Double Standards
2. Stereotyping
3. Conspiracy Theories
4. Denying Jewish Identity or History
5. Demonization
6. Dehumanization
These are some indicators of antisemitic discrimination, and based on what I’ve read and heard from you, I believe you’re well acquainted with them.
As for your example with Syrians, you could say ‘anti-Syrian bigotry,’ but which Syrians are you referring to: pre-Assad, Assad, or post-Assad? How do the six indicators above involve Syrians? Do you see the problem?
Knowing and understanding the subject matter is essential before making the widespread claims in your arguments.
Let’s return to the discussion where indiscriminate claims were being thrown around.
Since the offender is passionate about “true” justice, he should welcome his expulsion from school and gladly provide payment for any damage he caused. Or as I suspect, his version of true rests solely upon his opinion and in this case not only justified but required his actions.
The school will issue a statement condemning this kind of speech, open an “investigation”, and provide support to the kid’s legal team’s lawsuit against the pro-life group for violating his right to privacy for posting the video without his permission. Meanwhile, his future wife (partner?) will regret not having searched his posts before marrying him.
This student, young Mr. Miguelez, needs to be expelled. I’d want his parent(s) to be involved in his expulsion. It’s brains such as his that will no doubt get him to prison for a serious violation in the coming years.
And as the Professor wrote, the university better not say it’s going to take action, but actually do it —- the alumni have to play a role here too — withhold or withdraw donations — money talks!