Protesters disrupted a speech by conservative commentator Heather Mac Donald at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, last week. Protesters accused Mac Donald of being racist, sexist, and homophobic.
Chanting protesters disrupted a presentation by Heather Mac Donald on November 18 at the College of the Holy Cross, according to a report by Campus Reform, which obtained video and audio of the disruption.
“My oppression is not a delusion,” chanted the protesters repeatedly, in reference to Mac Donald’s new book, entitled, The Diversity Delusion. The conservative commentator was on campus to discuss her new book.
Watch / listen below:
“Your sexism is not welcome. Your racism is not welcome. Your homophobia is not welcome,” continued the protesters in unison.
“You are not welcome,” continued the protesters, following their litany of trite phrases.
At one point, Mac Donald can be heard on audio attempting to address the protesters, but was quickly drowned out by them with more chants of “My oppression is not a delusion,” and “you are not welcome.”
“It is a sad admission, again, of imminence, that people do not believe in the power of language and discourse,” Mac Donald was eventually able to say.
Protesters were not heard again on the audio recording, as they had reportedly walked out of the event.
“It’s a shame, I would have really enjoyed the opportunity to hear about the oppression at Holy Cross, and to be able to debate whether the perception of oppression is valid or not,” added Mac Donald.
In an op-ed published in the school’s student newspaper, the Spire, Holy Cross student Johanna Mackin wrote about how she attended Mac Donald’s event in protest, as she believed that the “purpose” of the conservative commentator’s presence on campus was to “discredit, humiliate, and deny the existence of minority students.”
“She did not come with the intention of starting any open dialogue from which anyone could benefit,” wrote Mackin.
“What I do not agree with, and will aim to disprove, is her assertion that every student on this campus has the same access to resources and educational opportunities,” continued Mackin. “In denying the persistent and pervasive inequality between races, sexes, and those of differing sexual orientation, Ms. Mac Donald is not just denying her privilege, she is abusing it.”
The student added that she believed there was nothing Mac Donald could have said at the event that would change Mackin’s views on “diversity.”
“I walked out after 15 minutes in solidarity with hundreds of other students,” said the student. “I cannot claim I was there to engage in any dialogue entertaining the views of the speaker.”
According to Campus Reform, the school’s director of media relations, John Hill, said that “about 15 minutes into [Mac Donald’s] talk, a group of students engaged in a walkout.”
Hill added that “after the handful of minutes it took the students to file out, Ms. MacDonald finished the rest of her talk and a question and answer session uneventfully.”
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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