The five Stanford students accused of vandalism in the 2024 anti-Israel protests are finally being tried for the property damage. No comment more summed up the mentality on many of our campuses than that of German Gonzalez, who declared, “It is ridiculous for me or for any of us co-defendants to be accused of property damage.” There remains a sense of license to commit crimes.
Gonzalez dismissed the notion of being held accountable for damages estimated to run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars: “This is all just a distraction from the very real property destruction and crimes that are occurring in Gaza every day because of Stanford University’s investments and actions.”
Defense counsel Leah Gillis justified spray painting “genocide” on buildings by saying, “Using the word genocide is the same as saying the sky is blue.”
The comments before a criminal trial show a continued sense of entitlement to commit crimes. These students did not adopt such views in isolation.
It is now common in higher education to hear inflammatory language from professors advocating “detonating white people,” denouncing police, calling for Republicans to suffer, strangling police officers, celebrating the death of conservatives, calling for the killing of Trump supporters, supporting the murder of conservative protesters and other outrageous statements. One professor who declared that there is “nothing wrong” with such acts of violence as killing conservatives was actually promoted.
A student last year published a column asking “when must we kill them?” Even high school teachers are calling upon the Secret Service to kill Trump and his supporters.
It is no wonder that students believe that occupying and trashing university buildings is justified and commendable. The students in the protest spray-painted messages such as “kill cops” and “death to Israel.”
What is most striking is how these defendants and their counsel are making such statements before a criminal trial. Usually, defense teams are circumspect in making inflammatory or incriminating statements. Perhaps these defendants are simply hoping for jury nullification given the liberal jury pool.
Earlier accounts indicate that at least one protester is now a cooperating witness who will testify against others.
In this coverage, one member of Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Amanda Campos ‘26, explained that
“Students acted to break through indifference, to force attention on an injustice that holding signs outside an office could never achieve. DA Rosen is wasting judicial resources to score points in a Trumpian attack on free speech and dissent, consistent with his history of overcharging.”
It reflects the same absurd claim that attacking people or buildings is a form of protected speech. It is not.
Drawing the line on free speech rights is often a difficult one. In my book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,” I argue for universities to focus on conduct rather than the content of speech. Occupying buildings, harassing students, destroying property, and shouting down speakers are forms of conduct that should be subject to suspension or expulsion.
This case is an important effort to maintain that line between speech and conduct. The “ridiculous” element is the notion of these defendants that they have a license to commit criminal acts so long as they view their cause as righteous.
What happened to X/Anonymous/George/Svelez today? Did he take a day off after this yesterday;
X says: “You must be jealous of upvotes.”
“You can’t even get your fellow Marxists from the Marxist website to upvote you, X:
https://www.marxists.org/admin/janitor/faq.htm”
Why don’t you have works by author X on the Marxists Internet Archive?
The writer is alive and well and politically active. The MIA’s Charter forbids us from building an archive for a writer who is still politically active. There are several reasons for this: (1) It ensures that the MIA stays out of current disputes and (2) remains independent of all political parties and groups; Also, (3) if a writer is still alive, they can build their own web site. This does not prevent the MIA from using material also from politically active writers in an editorial role or in support of a subject section, so long as we have the author’s permission.
354 days left in 2026 for daily cringe-worthy personal failure from X.
Think for a moment about the movement liberal college students have now hitched their wagons to (Islamic jihadism). It combines a puritanical opposition to fun and happiness with the murderous intent and methodologies of Nazi Germany. Sounds real “liberal,” right? There is no rational explanation for it besides a mass psychosis, where people promote the exact opposite of what they say they stand for.
. The saddest part imo is we’re all in the same sinking tub, omfk.
Yes, most see the left clearly now as loons. Anyone know what’s wrong with them? Idk
Your last paragraph begins with, “This case is an important effort to maintain that line between speech and conduct.” I agree with that, but it seems the Supreme Court has difficulty determining what is conduct and what is speech. For instance: nude dancing is considered free speech (I am not an attorney) but it seems more like conduct to me. Burning the flag is considered free speech but it seems to be more like conduct. Saying, “Destroy the United States Flag!” is obviously free speech. Actually burning it is conduct. It may be considered a political statement by the Supreme Court and so free speech, but it is actually conduct. So perhaps your statement quoted above (with which I agree) is not a rational definition of free speech according to Supreme Court decisions, or perhaps the court has made bad decisions. Of course we know that never happens. If your statement about speech and conduct isn’t true, we should strive to find a better definition of speech. On what basis does the Supreme Court decide when speech is speech and conduct is conduct and when conduct is speech? Do they have a rational dividing line which their decisions follow?
Yes, crime is a line. Nude dancing in a classroom is a crime. Conduct as civil disobedience at a private school is prosecuted as criminal and expulsion for conduct because vandalism is a crime as per school rules.
It’s not that difficult.
it seems the Supreme Court has difficulty determining what is conduct and what is speech.
No, it doesn’t. The Court’s line is very clear.
nude dancing is considered free speech
Yes, it is. Where is the conduct? All it’s doing is conveying a message. That is speech.
Burning the flag is considered free speech but it seems to be more like conduct.
Really?! Burning a piece of cloth is conduct, and state are free to enforce any law that applies equally to burning any cloth no matter what it is. For instance they can enforce the fire code, which doesn’t care what you’re burning. The fire code applies equally to the US flag, a Nazi flag, or some useless garbage. But the moment you make a distinction based on what is being burned, your law is not about the fire but about the message being conveyed. If you allow burning a Nazi flag but not the US flag then you are not banning conduct you are banning speech, and that is unconstitutional. This is all so obvious it shouldn’t even need to be explained.
Just wondering.
It seems that Becca, the partner of Ms Good, gave the order to step on the gas: “Drive baby! Drive!” and Ms Good did; right into the officer; and to her death.
Moments later Becca was caught of video lamenting that it was all her fault because she made Ms Good come here.
I think she is right. To a large degree it is her fault.
So now I wonder if a felony murder charge against Becca would be appropriate?
It’s actionable but no one is moving on it.
What does this have to do with Stsnford students?
Crime, conduct, speech, press, civil disobedience involves crime, mam.
Free speech and crime presumably.
Drive baby drive…
Bonnie and Clyde? Mayorkas is left untouched, yes the borders are secure.
How strong must the undercurrents become before the constitution is insignificant ?
The Stanford students have a sense of impunity. The fact that no charges are likely to be filed against Ms Good’s girlfriend even though she may be guilty of felony murder shows that the Stanford students’ expectations are not entirely unjustified.
I assumed everyone could figure out the connection.
Ah! “the law doesn’t apply to me because…”
And the expectation is that we will all agree and let them go?
They need to sue their college because their “education” is screwing up their life instead of improving it.
The left is increasingly aggressive in seeking a police state in America. This kind of violence and their obvious sense of entitlement to commit violent acts is identical to the psychology of all ‘wanna be’ tyrants including, before they gained life or death power, the Nazis, the communists, the fascists, and followers of 3rd world one party ‘tin pot’ dictators. In California run by people like Newsome, they may well get away with it.
“The left is increasingly aggressive in seeking a police state in America.”
Wait, Those ICE agents all over the country are there at the behest of the left? Could have fooled me, I thought they worked for trump.
Please explain how federal agents executing warrants equates to a “police state.”
Roosters crowing cause the sun to rise…
This is repeatable, according to the scientific method.
They are not violent they are doing their job, enforcing US immigration law. Laws some Democrats have written, voted for and Democratic presidents have signed into law.
The only time they use force is when someone violently resists arrest. Anyone impartial and with common sense would recognize they have so far shown great restraint after being harassed, spit on physically attacked.
Name another country that would put out with that kind of behavior? In any of your socialist paradises they would be beaten or killed for much less
Your attempt to paint it otherwise is pathetic.
They are there to enforce laws that are probably older than you are.
Gonzalez: “It is ridiculous for me or for any of us co-defendants to be accused of property damage. ‘There remains a sense of license to commit crimes.’ This is all just a distraction from the very real property destruction and crimes that are occurring in Gaza every day because of Stanford University’s investments and actions.”
Do college students take Formal Logic anymore?! Is it no longer required to take this course in the development of cogent reasoning and sound higher thought?!
It is utterly embarrassing to see the new products of higher education, so-called educated “students,” making such inane and fallacious statements (converse errors and reductions to absurdity, insufficiency, and false correlations) with such brazen flair. Turley’s article is as much about the severe failures of [leftist/socialist] higher education as it is about speech, conduct, and property damages.
Perhaps Gonzalez is admitting he’s being paid to destroy property?
Is he being paid? What are his stats?
Dianna Bec — I know of no university or college in the USA which requires a course in logic.
When I was a member a faculty senate I attempted to encourage such, to no avail.
*sigh*
Forget formal logic. Many of today’s college students can’t even read!
There remains a sense of license to commit crimes.
Professor Turley can’t bring himself to post the quiet part out loud: All of these miscreants and felons he writes about day after day are his fellow Democrats and Democrat voters.
The license to commit crimes and have them both justified and defended by Democrat elected politicians and the media is a feature of the DNC since Obama – not an unusual event.
Someone is posting ignorant comments in your name.
Somebody is posting eight word messages that are what… deflection? Or supposedly rebuttal of the post you’re responding to?
Extrapolation, much? His political views and voting record notwithstanding (whatever they may be), I have never read or heard anything attributed to Professor Turley that could even remotely be construed as supporting Democrat policies, politicians, or voters who defend the actions of these “protestors.”
My dear woman, the vandalism of Gonzalez could just as easily be murders following his logic. These people are dangerous and the l8ttle whistlers and car horn honkers are a distraction an evasive action. They do not fool LEOs.
This is not all democrats. It probably is not the majority of democrats.
Republicans had a version of this problem with the Tea Party which become MAGA.
Republicans can not win national elections without the MAGA/TP Wing of the party,
and the TP made it clear they were going to get candidates that reflected their values or they would not vote,
and that means Republicans lose elections.
Republicans came to terms with this and now the president and a significant portion of representatives and senators reflect the values of the MAGA wing of the party. There are still republicans getting elected from parts of the country where MAGA is not a major force,
but MAGA owns the party.
The far left wing nuts in the Democratic party are smaller in numbers than the TP or early MAGA but they are even more committed to getting what they want politically or they will sit out elections.
The future is one of the following.
Enough democrats leave the party – we are seeing declines in democrat voter registrations and increases in republicans accross he country over the past decade – that it is republicans that end up with a permanent majority
The democratic party fractures and that makes it far harder to win elections.
Or the far left failing to get what they want returns to sitting out elections.
I do not think there is a scenario where the fazr left truly takes and holds power – everytime they get some power – they create even larger opposition. And that is what separates MAGA from the far left.
Contra the left wing nuts here – MAGA policies are not nearly as potent at alienating half the contry as far left ones.
I would like to emphasize the following sentence from Professor Turley’s post that seems to get lost in the overall post message: “Drawing the line on free speech rights is often a difficult one.”
This is civil disobedience or conduct.
Did you see the Jewish haters went to the door of a synagogue after Zero M. through out Adam’s EO buffer zone?
^^^ threw. Drat.
What buffer zone? Adams never ordered one, and probably couldn’t. Therefore Mamdani never threw it out.
Some politicians are now proposing buffer zones around synagogues, but any such zone must be small enough that the protesters can still convey their message to those going in and out. 25 feet would probably stand up in court, but anything much more than that probably wouldn’t.
I love headlines…
“Trump weighs potential military intervention in Iran”
What could possibly go wrong?
“Trump weighs potential military intervention in Iran” What could possibly go wrong?
I love the “Please Karl Marx, wherever you are – just give us the gift of Trump starting a war like Obama and Biden did, JUST ONE TIME!!!!!”
Destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons facility that Obama and Biden both enabled and funded didn’t start WWW 3 as promised – maybe missiles taking out the barracks of the IRG if they start machine gunning protesters again might finally get Iran to declare the war Democrats desperately believe they need this November.
Nothing. FREE IRAN!
Of course something could go wrong.
But if he does nothing likely tens of thousands of Iranians seeking freedom will be murdered very shortly.
Even the Democrats have suddenly turned on a dime and decided to support the protesters! Anon of 11:35 AM is out on a limb, abandoned by his own side!
Trump, Xi and Putin should get together and take action together to save Iranian lives. The Mullah is done, it’s how many die before the end now. Give the Iranian people the chance they deserve.
Putin and Xi benefit from the Ayatollah.
They are not going to help.
This is hardly unusual. People who commit crimes as political protest rarely want to disavow their actions.
Put them in a Gaza tunnel and let them spray paint to their hearts content. They would not last one day. Scum of the earth
. Harvard and students have declared war in the United States and the cause they are fighting is destroy Israel in this case,
I assume. The defense is that they’re trying to get your attention.
Isn’t it that simple? Civil disobedience is noted, crimes committed, pay for it and these are martyrs. Now martyr the instructors.
. Children of daycare? What are the stats on these criminals? They’re dangerous to themselves and others most certainly. Perhaps they have ideas about the constant shelling of Israel for 75 years? Maybe not.
^^^ Stanford
Appears Democrats have created a major for rioting, conspiracy, sedition, harassment, terrorism, etc
Why do these students have so much time?
Wait, I’m confused, Wasn’t the Jan 6 2021 attack on our Capitol Building a trump supporting right wing bunch of people?
Wait, I’m confused, Wasn’t the Jan 6 2021 attack on our Capitol Building a trump supporting right wing bunch of people?
50 Secret Service agents hospitalized with wounds suffered repelling riotors in days of assaults on White House; Donald Trump taken to ‘terror attack’ bunker
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11752998/trump-secure-bunker-friday-george-floyd-protests-white-house/
Why, you’re so completely confused that you’re completely unaware of the assault on the White House a few weeks earlier.
Surely you remember the THOUSANDS of rioters and trespassers similarly jailed earlier by the same FBI Director and FBI?
Remember that after mobs of Democrat Biden street thugs in Antifa and Black Liars And Marxists attempted to breach Secret Service lines to murder Trump, symbolically in the Lincoln Bedroom? And not a red baseball cap among the uniformly black clad assaulters trying to fix the election for Biden by eliminating Trump. While presidential candidate Biden emerged from his campaign basement to proclaim to the country they were a “courageous group of Americans”?
You don’t remember ANY of that? It was only a few weeks before J6 that you never fail to remind us you cannot forget!
Republicans can’t elect Trump if we kill him before the election!
I am sure you’re often confused. Let’s see, we now know that there were somewhere around 270 FBI agents/informants on the ground. Add it another 100 or so journalists, maybe another 100 DC police, and it’s looking like not too many right wingers were there after all.
I hope that koolaide tastes good. You sure do seem to drink a lot of it.
The numbers are accurate.
Do you have a problem with reality ?
The (barely a) riot at the Capitol involved people who supported, however inappropriately, postponing the certification of the 2020 election due to irregularities in a number of states.
There was not “attack” onm the capitol.
There was a protest a small part of which turned violent after the CP teargassed peaceful protestors.
100,000 hours of video show that it was 99.99% peaceful.
The worst behavior of the right is better than the best behavior of the left.
See Anon
You still do not understand what J6 was about. You think it’s about Trump, it’s not. It’s about a tyrannical system that has far surpassed the limits and restrictions provided for Americans under our Constitution. Maybe one day you will figure it out, maybe not.
It’s a pamphlet— How to Overthrow a Government.
time to end Federal Aid to colleges including student loan backing.
BREAK the Democrats!
Absolutely. we need more government owning businesses like trump buying a share of NVDA and Intel. What could be more pro business than the government buying private business? Oh wait, that is leftest. Is trump a leftist?
Yes, Trump is still, at base, the same liberal Democrat he always was. He’s only on our side because his own friends betrayed him, so he goes along with conservative policies that are recommended to him, but he doesn’t actually believe in conservative values, and his own instincts remain on the left. He’s been a good president, because he’s been mostly doing the right things, but not all the time. Still the harm he does is far outweighed by the good.
I would agree that Trump is little changed over his lifetime.
But the democrat and republican parties are greatly changed.
Pre Tea Party Trump would not have fit in the GOP.
But the TP was a seismic shift in the GOP.
It disempowered establishment republicans and social conservatives and empowered fiscal conservatives and libertarian republicans.
After that Neoconservatives were disempowered.
All of that lined the GOP up more with the working class, while Democrats who were the party of the working class for a century abandoned them in favor of the mostly white elite.
You can trust Trump and his platform. It is consistent with Trump’s views throughout his life.
But it is NOT the GOP platform of most of my lifetime.
Regardless you are correct – Trump has not changed.
But the parties have.
I do not agree with ALL of the changes.
But I am not looking for perfection.
Getting a party to claim to do 50% of what I want is a miracle.
Getting them to actually do it – is the sky falling.
deal with the fascists now….it is much worse later!
I’m sure these same actions and attitudes were exhibited by the Russian hoi polloi in the early 1900’s. Look what happened!
The more things change, the more the stay the same. On speech, you shall not destroy property in the name of free speech. On antisemitism, “Let my people go” is still not a suggestion. When you break the law the train takes 400 yards to stop whether it hits you or not.
I grew up and worked in the Palo Alto area from 1954 till 1978 then in the Monterrey Bay area till 2015. I go back to the newspapers occasionally to see what is going on and read the editorials and opinion pieces. In the case of Palo Alto, there seems to be an overabundance of editorials, opinions and comments supporting the protests. Why would the students feel that their actions are wrong with such community support. Palo Alto was a middle class town until the electronics industry then internet started to take off. Stanford, because of the geographically diverse students has always been on the cutting edge of things, including changing the mascot from Indians to a tree in the 70’s.
The attitude of money and elitism has left the town unrecognizable me and I now have no desire for me to go back.