Students protest conspiracy theorist James Lindsay at NUCR and YAF event
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More than 150 demonstrators gathered outside Swift Hall on Tuesday evening to protest a lecture by James Lindsay, an author, conspiracy theorist and anti-LGBTQ+ activist.
Northwestern College Republicans and NU’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom hosted Lindsay, who helped popularize “groomer” rhetoric. The rhetoric, which has been debunked and labeled as anti-gay by PolitiFact and the Anti-Defamation League, accuses LGBTQ+ people of enabling pedophilia. Lindsay has also promoted “white genocide theory,” which claims there is an intentional effort to replace white populations in majority-white communities. Historians have traced the white supremacist theory to having antisemitic roots.
Prior to the event, several NU students emailed University President Michael Schill expressing concerns about Lindsay’s invitation to campus. They also raised questions about the event’s funding — particularly why Lindsay chose to speak at NU for free.
SESP sophomore Katherine McDonnell, a former Daily staffer, said students can help shape the values of the University through protest.
“Mobilizing for students today, even if it doesn’t mean administration will or can do anything, is an act of recognizing that we will hold each other accountable, and that we expect each other to actually think critically, to question conspiracy theorists (and) to lead with love,” McDonnell said.
Content retrieved from: https://dailynorthwestern.com/2023/05/03/campus/students-protest-conspiracy-theorist-james-lindsay-at-nucr-and-yaf-event/.
