Ben Shapiro branded as 'white supremacist' by student leaders who condemn his planned speech: 'We do not have to follow the First Amendment'

Syracuse University's Student Association in a virtual meeting passed a resolution Monday condemning conservative figure Ben Shapiro's planned speech at the school this fall, the college's paper — the Daily Orange — reported.

The lengthy resolution also branded Shapiro as a "white supremacist." In one rather jaw-dropping paragraph, student leaders added that "not only is Ben Shapiro a white supremacist, but he is homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, ableist, and classist. It is inappropriate to bring someone on our campus that [sic] has actively disrespected our very own students through his language and actions."

Say what?

The students' argument? "Shapiro's generalistic and harmful comments about Arabs and Palestinians promote white supremacy. When it comes to discrimination against Arabs and Palestinians, whilst Arab is considered to be an ethnicity and Palestinian is considered to be a nationality, both groups are generally racialized and discriminated [against] based on skin tone."

Oddly the same paragraph acknowledges that Shapiro "himself is Jewish and has been targeted by white nationalist terrorists" and adds that he "has not explicitly stated that the white race is better."

It's worth noting that the Boston Globe issued a correction last fall after one its columnists erroneously called Shapiro's news site, The Daily Wire, a "white supremacist-adjacent alt-right outpost."

"Because of a reporting error, the @Large column in today's Arts section, which is printed in advance, mischaracterizes the conservative media outlet The Daily Wire." Shapiro's outlet added that the correction reads, "Its founder, Ben Shapiro, has spoken out against the alt-right. The Globe regrets the error."

The Daily Wire went further in a report about the correction:

A study by the Anti-Defamation League found that Shapiro was the number one target of the Alt-Right in 2016. The Daily Wire was one of the first outlets on the right to come out in full-throated condemnation of the Alt-Right, publishing a piece in September 2016 unequivocally disavowing the racist and anti-Semitic movement (read: "An Actual Conservative's Guide To The Alt-Right: 8 Things You Need To Know") and consistently criticizing the movement and its supporters in its reports and op-eds.

As TheBlaze has frequently reported, Shapiro is no stranger to such attacks from left-wing college students, as he's endured smears and protests amid many speaking events at schools across America over the last several years.

'We do not have to follow the First Amendment'

According to Campus Reform, one student association member during a video meeting expressed support for the resolution, said Syracuse is a private college, and added: "we do not follow the First Amendment ... Well, we do not have to follow the First Amendment. As members of the Student Association, it would be very ill-informed of us to ignore students crying out and saying they feel unsafe and to put our political beliefs and values over safety."

The resolution concluded by requesting that "the University take whatever measures are necessary to prevent [Shapiro's] event from taking place."

The student association's finance board approved the College Republicans' $39,000 request to invite Shapiro to Syracuse, the Daily Orange said, adding that he's is scheduled to come to the campus in early October.

What did the College Republicans have to say?

The College Republicans' executive board released a statement rejecting the resolution, saying the organization "emphatically" disputes the notion that Shapiro is a white supremacist, the Daily Orange reported.