Democrat activist has microphone taken away from him as he challenges Ben Shapiro on ‘wokeness’
‘I thought you were a free speech warrior’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Democratic activist had his microphone removed while trying to debate conservative commentator and “free speech warrior” Ben Shapiro about the definition of “wokeism”.
Mr Shapiro was speaking at a Young America’s Foundation event at Iowa State University on Tuesday when he got into a spirited discussion with a former Elizabeth Warren campaign staffer.
Mr Shapiro said he defined wokeism as the belief that “all inequalities of today are attributable to not only historical injustices but also continuing injustices in the now”.
The activist responded that conservatives were the only ones who defined “wokeism” in that way.
“You are not characterising what I am saying accurately,” he said.
He then called himself a “representative of wokeness” as a former campaign worker for Ms Warren’s Iowa presidential candidacy, drawing groans and boos from the the packed auditorium.
Mr Shapiro then tried to wrap up the back-and-forth, saying “we’re going to have to stop this because it is going nowhere.”
The unnamed activist interjects that he is “just trying to understand your perspective”.
At that point, someone placed their hand over the microphone in an attempt to stop the activist from speaking, as they continued to try to make their point.
This is absolutely amazing. You have to watch it. In two minutes, all of Ben Shapiro's 'anti-woke' tirades are just destroyed. pic.twitter.com/3MGCfgyQMj
— Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) April 28, 2022
When the microphone is finally taken away from him, the activist complains that he is “being censored”, adding: “I thought you were a free speech warrior.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments