Dissenting feminist Christina Hoff Sommers is now considered a fascist.
Sommers appeared at Lewis & Clark Law School on Monday to share her critical perspective of contemporary feminism. But the American Enterprise Institute scholar didn’t really get the chance to speak thanks to “anti-fascist” protesters who crashed her event.
“No platform for fascists, no platform at all!” the protesters chanted during the speech. “We will fight for justice until Christina’s gone. Which side are you on, friends, which side are you on?”
The anti-Sommers crowd managed to interrupt her speech numerous times thanks to those chants, blasting music and demanding she answer questions before her talk was even finished. The so-called “anti-fascists” were successful in their efforts as a Lewis & Clark “diversity administrator” forced Sommers to finish her talk early. (RELATED: Watch Students Call Christina Hoff Sommers A ‘Fascist’ In One Of The Most Cringe-Worthy Protests Ever)
Sommers is definitely not a fascist and is fairly liberal in her politics. She recently showed support for gun control and routinely attacks nationalists like Marine Le Pen. She’s also a frequent critic of Donald Trump.
Sommers earns this notorious reputation simply because she calls out the excesses of feminism. She doesn’t believe in the gender pay gap, questions the campus rape “epidemic” and stands up for free speech. It’s why she is singled out by the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center for spreading “male supremacy.”
That’s enough to make the jump to calling her a fascist by the very low standards of “anti-fascists.” It also means that Sommers’ speech must be shut down by any means necessary.
The critical feminist wasn’t alone in facing the wrath of antifa on Monday. In the U.K., black-masked thugs disrupted an event featuring the libertarian YouTuber Sargon of Akkad, a man who spends a lot of his time denouncing the alt-right and white nationalism. But Sargon’s criticism of “social justice warriors” merits his condemnation as a fascist and total de-platforming. (RELATED: Antifa Shuts Down Libertarian Event At King’s College London)
In Canada, antifa demonstrators banged on stained glass in a desperate attempt to stop university psychologist Jordan Peterson from promoting his new self-help book. Peterson identifies as a classical liberal and even The Atlantic has made it clear he’s not an extremist. Yet, the Canadian psychologist is labeled a fascist because he criticizes the far-left and refuses to go along with transgender pronouns.
Antifa did brawl with white nationalists — the people they claim to primarily focus on — at Michigan State University on Monday as well, but it’s hard to argue the violence was justified.
Especially when that violence can easily be deployed against respectable folks like Christina Hoff Sommers. If someone deems her a fascist, then it’s permissible to many on the far-left to use physical force against her. “Punch a Nazi!” and such.
It’s not a revelation to say colleges no longer welcome free speech, but it’s always worth repeating. Any speaker with a view that would be deemed too controversial by leftists will face strong-arm tactics and shrill commands for cancellation. Monday is a reminder that this trend is prevalent throughout the Anglosphere, and it’s only going to get more difficult for popular right-leaning voices to find a safe space on campus.
The fascist smear tactic is effective in giving cover to these illiberal acts. No matter how ridiculous the target, leftists can just say this person is a fascist and that’ll justify violence and aggressive demonstrations.
Just don’t expect them to define what exactly fascism is. Campus Reform once tried to get an answer on this from antifa and those questioned didn’t offer an answer.
All the aggrieved leftists need to know is that fascism is bad and all conservatives are fascist.
In the Trump era, the fascist smear is bantered around recklessly with no regard to any proper definition. The president is a fascist, capitalism is fascist, police are fascist, etc. Never is any serious argument made to explain why this bad thing is just like Benito Mussolini or what fascism even is. It’s an epithet that somehow carries serious meaning when used by people who don’t know it is.
It is a free country, so people are allowed to have whatever silly opinion they want.
But what’s dangerous about labeling everything you don’t like fascist is that it leads to violence and suppression of free speech. You know, the cornerstone of America existing as a free country.
The driving force behind turning these ridiculous notions into violent action is antifa, a movement that still receives adoring press from naive journalists who think the anarchists only target Nazis. Remember, several media commentators and politicians compared these anti-American leftists to the men who stormed the beaches of Normandy after Charlottesville. (RELATED: Republicans Embrace Movement That Wants To Destroy Them)
The soft treatment from the press is why they feel emboldened to strike at Sommers and other mainstream figures. It’s well past time to stop rewarding those who use violence against free speech.
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