This is the Way: Ben Sasse Lays Down the Law to Protesters at the University of Florida

The proper way to handle illegal protests at universities has been clear from the beginning: Enforce the law.

No student has been denied the opportunity to express their First Amendment rights, even if it is to do something as stupid as being willing tools for Hamas.

What they don't have a right to do is break the law. The Left believes lawbreaking is justified when they deem their cause worthy enough.

Ben Sasse says 'no'.

University presidents everywhere need to embrace this simple statement by Ben Sasse, President of the University of Florida:

"At the University of Florida, we have repeatedly, patiently explained two things to protesters: We will always defend your rights to free speech and free…
— Michael Shermer (@michaelshermer) May 4, 2024

The former Senator from Nebraska framed it perfectly:

At the University of Florida, we have repeatedly, patiently explained two things to protesters: We will always defend your rights to free speech and free assembly—but if you cross the line on clearly prohibited activities, you will be thrown off campus and suspended. In Gainesville, that means a three-year prohibition from campus. That’s serious. We said it. We meant it. We enforced it. We wish we didn’t have to, but the students weighed the costs, made their decisions, and will own the consequences as adults. We’re a university, not a daycare. We don’t coddle emotions, we wrestle with ideas.

Nailed it.

This does not satisfy the keffiyeh-clad campus crusaders who have descended on colleges across the nation. Legally stating their message in protest is not good enough for them. Forcefully making others endure their whining is their strategy. It's not enough to be able to speak. We must be made to listen and comply, and they will interfere with the freedoms of others to try to achieve it.

Not only have protesting university students proven themselves incapable of behaving properly, but university leadership across the nation has shown themselves to be woefully inadequate to handle such events. Probably because a lot of them are the grown-up version of tantrum-throwing toddlers we've witnessed in recent weeks.