Speaker’s Views Spark Student Protest

By Stephen Fasulo II

Matt Walsh, a conservative blogger who many consider to be controversial, was hosted by the Counter-Culture Society, which is sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute at Catholic University, sparking student protest. Walsh was invited to speak based on the Counter-Culture Society’s mission, which according to its page on the Nest is to “focus on pop culture as a way of understanding social and political trends, especially from a conservative perspective.”

The event was protested by a group of about 10 students led by Tess Frieswick, a sophomore politics major, who organized a group of students to stand in the back of the Edward J. Pryzbyla Center Great Room as the event went on to symbolize that there are students who disagreed with Walsh’s views by standing in silence and holding up a Human Rights Campaign flag.

“We wish to show that Catholic University students are not all aligned with this man’s opinion,” said Frieswick, when asked why she had organized the protest. “Our protest isn’t here to engage in argument, only to stand in opposition.”

Frieswick then said that the group of students was in no way aligned with any on campus groups.
Walsh delivered the type of presentation he is known for, including topics such as the necessity of Christians to forsake gay marriage, rights to freedom of religion and what that entails for businesses in the United State, and the struggle of Christians to fight the oppression of the liberal agenda. The talk was followed by a question and answer session.

Several members of the student body used the question period to address the problems they had with Walsh’s speech. Walsh later said on his Twitter account that the university’s audience was the “most hostile” he had ever had.

“I wanted to provide some analysis of the state of religious liberty in America,” Walsh said about his visit. “I wanted to expose the fact that it is under attack and then talking about what we need to do to defend it.”

When asked about the experience of speaking to the student body, Walsh said the most surprising thing about speaking at Catholic was the reaction of the students.

“I was warned about protestors, I wasn’t sure what to expect, as there are a lot of Catholic schools in name only, and I didn’t think Catholic was one, I still don’t think that’s the case,” said Walsh. “I didn’t think that I would have to fight for people to understand my beliefs. I thought there would be more overlay in the beliefs of the student body.”