Daniela Perez/ Staff Writer
When University of Florida president, W. Kent Fuchs denied white nationalist Richard Spencer’s request to speak to his students, the decision led to some controversy among the alt-right community. Claims were made that their right to freedom of speech and expression was being abused.
Their argument was valid. Every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression, especially in a public university and “free speech zone.” However, in the current political climate, every citizen doesn’t seem entitled to their First Amendment rights.
After some backlash, President Donald Trump loosely criticized white supremacists’ hateful speech in order to present himself as a solidary politician. Nevertheless, he wasn’t as quick to judge white supremacy as he was to condemn the NFL, especially the black players.
For the past two years, NFL players have been peacefully protesting against our politics by kneeling or sitting down for the national anthem. Trump went as far as to criticize the mothers of 49-er Colin Kaepernick and Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, calling them “sons of b——.”
Trump called the mothers of two NFL players by obscene names, but when criticizing white supremacists for public relations, he called them “very fine people.”
Don’t you see a problem here? Apparently in 2017, only white supremacists have a right of freedom of speech and expression.
If you’re black or unsupportive of President Donald Trump, you’re a son of a b—-. Not only have NFL players been affected by this, but ESPN anchor Jemele Hill nearly lost her job for calling Trump a white supremacist.
White supremacy is a cancer that’s manifesting itself in the United States. It’s becoming more and more acceptable, especially under Donald Trump’s reign. As students and as citizens, we must learn to protect the fact that rights belong to every citizen. There are no terms or conditions as long as you do not threat anyone’s well-being.
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Photo taken from Flickr.
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