Student protesters shut down University of Oregon President Michael Schill’s State of the University speech, claiming that they were standing “against fascism.”
After they stormed the stage, the protestors chanted, “Nothing about us without us.” They followed up by calling Schill a “CEO” and the university a “business firm.”
“Our demands will be heard, we will be heard, we are the students, we will not be ignored,” student protester leader Charlie Landeros exclaimed into a megaphone. “Expect resistance to anyone who opposes us.” He went on to thank all students who came out to stand against the “fascism” at the University of Oregon.
Schill told the student newspaper at the University of Oregon that he wasn’t angry at the students who derailed his speech. He claimed instead that he was “sad that they don’t understand the value of free speech.” He reminded them that he had recently worked hard to ensure that they could raise enough funds to erect a new Black Cultural Center on campus.
Ironically, Schill’s speech was still delivered to the community. Schill and his administration anticipated the protests and decided to pre-record his remarks so that they could be distributed in the case that students attempted to shut him down. During the speech, Schill announced that the university had recently received a $50 million dollar gift that would go towards a Black Cultural Center and nine new endowed faculty chair positions.
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