YWC brings another speaker; protest ensues
Despite the presence of protesters and a general sense of nervous anticipation surrounding the event, conservative group Youth for Western Civilization managed Thursday to smoothly host its first lecture since protests disrupted talks last spring.Former U.S. Treasurer Bay Buchanan spoke in the Union Auditorium on Thursday night to a small but attentive audience about the necessity of free speech and the perils of illegal immigration. “I want to talk about the importance of free speech, a topic that must be missed in History 101 around here,” Buchanan said.Her speech marked a peaceful event for the UNC chapter of Youth for Western Civilization, which was plagued with a rocky start this fall, including difficulty finding an adviser.Buchanan addressed an array of issues in her speech, such as leadership in government, the effects of illegal immigration on the economy and the protection of the nation’s borders. Buchanan also said she thinks society’s obsession with being politically correct often limits free speech.“The word ‘offended’ is an active verb. It means you choose to be offended,” she said. “So who are you to decide what I can and can’t say?”At least 10 police officerswere on hand to ensure that Buchanan was able to deliver her speech peacefully. But their presence didn’t stop senior Haley Koch from protesting.Koch — arrested after a protest last spring that prevented U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., from speaking — staged a dramatic performance Thursday night in front of the auditorium before Buchanan’s speech. Wielding a horse whip, chains and a paddle, fellow protesters pretended to scold Koch for a variety of “offenses.” They pretended to beat her and led her into the auditorium in chains. At one point in the performance, Koch read the First Amendment through the gag placed in her mouth, symbolizing what she feels is the suppression of her right to free speech on campus.“I hope our performance caused people to think differently about the questions we raised and challenge their ideas,” Koch said.Koch remained gagged throughout the first half of the speech, drawing audience members’ attention. She exited the auditorium halfway through the speech.Lauren Atencio, a senior economics major, said she thought Koch’s actions were a ploy for attention.“I hope that will satiate them for a while,” she said.Some members of the audience interrupted Buchanan throughout the speech with audible comments. Buchanan did not respond to the diversions.“When you squash the ability to talk about an issue in a civil way, you lose the opportunity for the truth to come out,” Buchanan said in her speech.The speech was funded by a $3,000 reimbursement by Chancellor Holden Thorp to YWC for the Tancredo speech in April. Senior Marius Lorentzen questioned the protestors’ motivations.“When are they going to acknowledge other people’s right to freedom of speech?” he said.Students from across the political spectrum were in attendance.Buchanan spoke last spring as YWC’s first sponsored speaker in their first year as an official club.Freshman Tyler Hopkins said he attended the speech to have his views challenged.“It made me strengthen my own opinions,” he said.The story so far