Groups protest speech by former Trump assistant at UNC-CH

Christians United for Israel invited Sebastian Gorka, a former deputy assistant to Trump, to speak on Monday evening, but two groups challenged his beliefs as racist and feel he has no place on campus.

“I would like to really ask the university what kind of message they’re sending out to the student community. Are they saying it’s OK, because you have freedom to express yourself, it’s OK to express hate against minorities, against people of religion,” said Faisal Khan with the Carolina Peace Center.

Carolina Peace Center, along with other groups, asked the university to cancel the event, which began at 6 p.m.

"In light of the continued rise in hate crimes against minorities in the United States and the Islamophobic rhetoric of the current administration, we believe that it would be patently irresponsible to allow Mr. Gorka to be given a platform to spew his hateful ideologies and racist viewpoints at a higher educational institution such as UNC-Chapel Hill," read a letter from the Carolina Peace Center.

Khan said the organization never received a response to the letter.

"The first amendment is a privilege, is a right, I agree with that. But, I think we have to be concerned when the first amendment right of freedom of speech becomes freedom of hate," he said.

As many lined up to attend the speech, some on the other side of the street were protesting. Their chants, at times, could be heard inside the building where Gorka was speaking.

"I think it's important to show that the UNC community rejects Islamophobia and fascism," graduate student Lindsay Ayling said.

"I personally believe that hate speech of the variety that Gorka is proliferating should not be protected," said student Sam Chilton.

Monday afternoon, UNC Hillel, a Jewish group on campus, published a letter in the student newspaper, also condemning Gorka’s visit. They believe he has expressed prejudice against Jews and Muslims.

Gorka's comments Monday night focused mainly on foreign policy, but after his speech, he responded to protesters' claims that his words can be racist and prejudiced toward Muslims and Jews.

"They're victims of fake news. They should read my book, read what I've said. They should listen afterward," he said. "It's propaganda. We are living in a world of fake news."

UNC campus policy states that the university is obligated to treat all speakers equally, regardless of the content of their speech.

A UNC spokesperson said all protocol was followed when inviting Gorka to speak. A spokesperson for the College Republicans, which co-sponsored the event, said he hopes people view the speech as an educational event and draw their own conclusions.

"The university is a place for debate. It's a place for the sharing of ideas and testing what you believe in, said Will Rierson, chairman of UNC College Republicans. "We don't necessarily have to endorse every single one of his viewpoints. I haven't taken the time to watch every single bit of film he's done before, but I know he worked for the President of the United States. He's a well-known figure and he should have the right to speak here."