Students should express views without any punishment

800px-South_Hall--UC_Berkeley--Panoramic — University of California Berkeley students attended a peaceful protest on Feb. 2, in opposition to the scheduled speech of Milo Yiannopoulos, who is openly right-winged. Later that evening, a group of masked agitators, known as Blac Blocs, initiated violence which prompted comments from President Trump, in which he threatened the federal funding of the university. Photo courtesy of www.commons.wikimedia.org.

Staff Editorial

Throughout the first 36 days of Donald Trump’s presidency, students nationwide have shown their discontent by participating in demonstrations against Trump’s immigration policies. By protesting peacefully, students are expressing their First Amendment rights, and all public institutions, including schools and the White House, should respect their rights as citizens to the fullest extent.

The day after Election Day, Nov. 9, approximately 100 Mira Costa students took part in a walkout, marching from the school to Manhattan Beach City Hall in an effort to show their discontent with the policies and views expressed by President Trump.

Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale and Security Lead Ray Lee accompanied Costa students during the walkout. Dale and Lee accompanied students to ensure that they were kept safe and that there was no indication of any particular political stance upheld by Costa administration and staff, Dale said. By protecting students’ rights to express their views through peaceful protest and by using administrators to act as safety measures during the walkout, Costa has set a dignified example dictating how public schools should treat students’ politically active efforts.

Photos: Student Walkout to Manhattan Beach City Hall

Students at the University of California, Berkeley similarly exercised their First Amendment rights through protest when, according to USA Today, approximately 1,500 students took to the campus on Feb. 1 to protest a speaking event by Milo Yiannopoulos, (a Breitbart News editor openly in favor of Trump’s policies and right-wing views.) UC Berkeley students chanted and held signs as they peacefully protested Yiannopoulos’ talk, said USA Today. The students’ protests were justified, considering the fact that they were civilly voicing their opinions.

The event took a turn when the peaceful protest was infiltrated by 50 to 75 Black Blocs, or self-described anti-fascists, who tossed smoke bombs and set fires on campus, according to USA Today. These outsiders’ invasion of the Berkeley students’ peaceful demonstration was fully out of the students’ control considering the fact that Berkeley is an open campus, meaning that anyone can enter the campus. Considering that the violent protesters were not school affiliated, the students’ protests remain entirely in line with the legal rights to freedom of speech and protest.

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Despite the clear division between the acts of the Berkeley students and those of the Black Blocs, Trump took to Twitter and threatened to cut the university’s federal funding, blaming the school for the violent events. Not only was his tweet inaccurate, but it was also against the values this country stands for, as he was ultimately showing all students that by expressing their views and their First Amendment rights, their education can be threatened and potentially taken from them.

According to a survey of 200 Costa students, out of five potential options, 44% of the respondents believes that Trump’s response to the protest is a direct violation of the Bill of Rights. By protesting peacefully, students are rightfully expressing their First Amendment rights and all public institutions, including schools and the White House, should respect their rights as citizens to the fullest extent.