Fox Business Network's Varney & Co. stood out on Friday for covering how far-left protesters violently attacked conservative writer Ben Shaprio's lecture at California State University-Los Angeles on Thursday. Stuart Varney trumpeted that "free speech took another hit," after Black Lives Matter and other radical activists blocked people from entering Shapiro's event. Varney noted that "someone pulled a fire alarm to disrupt the speech." He pointed out the "banner at the bottom of the screen — 'Protests Block Free Speech.' I think that sums it up entirely." [video below]
The host teased the segment about the disruption by noting that "Black Lives Matter showed up at Cal State, Los Angeles last night to disrupt a speech by conservative who wanted to address diversity." Varney first noted that Shapiro "had to be escorted out by police." He played two clips from someone who tried to get into the lecture, who slammed the leftist demonstrators: "There was a lot of pushing, shoving, screaming, yelling — racism from the left and bigotry from the left and neo-fascist tactics from the left."
Correspondent Elizabeth MacDonald then gave additional details about the incident: "His [Shapiro's] message, actually was this: there's diversity of race; of values; and also, of ideas — and those ideas get squashed on college campuses....he went after them, after they pulled the alarm. He said, 'You do that in class, you'd be escorted off campus. But now, you special, magical children of the left, protected by my tax dollars, you get to behave this way.'"
On Thursday, MRCTV's Nick Kangadis reported that "Adelle Nazarian of Breitbart News was outside Periscoping the scene before the event began, where she encountered student protesters that began to berate, physically intimidate and shove the female reporter. Both a female and a male protester put their hands on Nazarian and tried to get her to stop filming them."
The transcript of the relevant portions of the segment from the February 26, 2016 edition of Fox Business Network's Varney & Co.:
STUART VARNEY (teaser): Free speech took another hit — Black Lives Matter showed up at Cal State, Los Angeles last night to disrupt a speech by conservative who wanted to address diversity.
STUART VARNEY: Still on serious subjects here, look at this video. It's the protest at a college in California last night — Black LivesMmatter and other liberal groups blocking people from getting into a speech by a conservative commentator, Ben Shapiro. He had to be escorted out by police. Someone pulled a fire alarm to disrupt the speech.Here's someone who was trying to get in to watch.
[Fox Business Network Graphic: "Protests Block Free Speech"]
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: There was no way I was able to get in. There was a lot of pushing, shoving, screaming, yelling — racism from the left and bigotry from the left and neo-fascist tactics from the left.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER (off-camera): Do you feel like your — your rights have been denied?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: Oh, absolutely! That's what the left does. A university — you normally think somebody would want to learn a different point of view — even if they disagree. But here, they won't allow disagreement. It's real Brownshirt stuff
VARNEY: Look at that banner at the bottom of the screen — 'Protests Block Free Speech.' I think that sums it up entirely.
(...)
ELIZABETH MACDONALD: Ben Shapiro is trying to break through the barriers at college universities (sic). He's trying to deliver a message where free speech is supposed to be — you know, a principle and a right there, but it's not. So, speaking directly to people in their language — that's what Ben Shapiro was trying to do. And his message, actually was this: there's diversity of race; of values; and also, of ideas — and those ideas get squashed on college campuses. Those very ideas lead to a prosperous society. And he went after them, after they pulled the alarm. He said, 'You do that in class, you'd be escorted off campus. But now, you special, magical children of the left, protected by my tax dollars, you get to behave this way. You will not basically survive in the real world if you continue to act like this.'
