By the Young Democratic Socialists of America at UW-Madison

We all know the conservative shtick by now. The right-wing organizations on campuses across the nation invite inflammatory, hateful, and reactionary talking heads to promote their bigotry and cry victim each time a student protest is mounted against them.

According to Nick Baker of YAF, our organization is “appalled that someone with different views than their own would be allowed to step foot on campus”. Seems like an inaccurate oversimplification of the situation, but what else would you expect? Because obviously it’s not about a simple difference of opinion. When Matt Walsh spoke a year ago at UW-Madison, Walsh promoted his anti-scientific, anti-trans documentary and YAF inciters took it upon themselves to put up posters advertising the event in spaces of inclusion on campus. Walsh delightfully praised this behavior and suggested the targets of his event ought to be (forcibly) exposed to this material, should it be taxing on their mental health (which, by the way, is not how therapeutic exposure works, but again what can you expect?).

These folks intend to provoke and terrorize. They know they make marginalized people of all backgrounds uncomfortable and unwelcomed with their events. They thrive on people’s fear, yet they have the audacity to condemn us for ensuring their bigotry and lies receive a decided unwelcome from the solidaric union of university students who instead embrace diversity, equality and justice.

Ben Shapiro founded the Daily Wire and has employed other hateful folks, such as Candace Owens, Michael Knowles and Matt Walsh. Owens, like other contemporary conservatives, has tried to redeem nationalist ideology. She sported “White Lives Matter” jackets with Kanye West, who devolved into white supremacist politics. Owens also declared she has a “great contempt” for transgender people. Knowles said transgenderism must be “eradicated” and was panned for promulgating trans genocide. Matt Walsh has echoed several white nationalist talking points, describing diversity as “anti-white”, and entertaining the great replacement theory. Ben Shapiro patronized and vilified trans people in his career, and does not support equal rights for partners of same-sex. Shapiro also virulently advocates for the settler-colonialism of Israel and actively justifies the slaughter of Palestinian people. The matrix system of control that Israel imposed on Palestinian people is inexcusable and indefensible. Occupation is a crime, and Zionism and racial segregation are fascism; it is also not hard to see with the far-right ideologies and alliances with far-right European political parties the Israeli state harbors.

Our point is, conservatives aim to ‘restore and preserve tradition’ and they know that means discrimination and inequality. The banner of conservatism is a masquerade and facade for folks like YAF to propagate and normalize hateful, fascist and white supremacist ideologies into mainstream discourse. We will not let that happen.

We reiterate: the views and values YAF demands you to respect and allow to permeate onto our campus are dangerous and harmful to the UW community. As the Young Democratic Socialists of America at UW-Madison, we will not welcome fascists on our campus. We stand in solidarity with queer, indigenous, people of color, marginalized and oppressed people and victims of hate. We don’t believe their rights are here for debate and we vow that fascism will never win the day. Please join us Monday at 5:30 pm in front of the MemU in solidarity if you support our mission.