Columbia caved when free speech was on the line

Friends,

Columbia University just showed the world how easily institutions that claim to uphold freedom will crumble under pressure. 

Expelling and suspending students at the Trump administration’s demand isn’t leadership. It’s submission.

And what makes this worse: For generations, Black, Latino, and Muslim students have been ringing the alarm about racism, Islamophobia, and bigotry on campus—only to be ignored, dismissed, or punished. 

Meanwhile, Zionists defending genocide get task forces, special protections, and the power to decide who gets expelled.

This goes far beyond hypocrisy—it’s a warning that dissent will not be tolerated.

As an educator, I know exactly what this kind of repression leads to: a generation too afraid to question, too afraid to resist, too afraid to think critically. 

College campuses have always been at the heart of revolution—from Civil Rights sit-ins to Vietnam War protests, from anti-apartheid actions to today’s labor and divestment movements. 

And every time, the powerful try to crush them.

Now, Trump’s administration isn’t stopping at punishing students—it’s gutting the Department of Education entirely, dismantling protections for 

academic freedom, and turning schools into political battlegrounds where only state-approved speech is allowed.

If universities no longer protect the free exchange of ideas, then we don’t have free speech in this country. And I refuse to accept that.

When I’m Governor, California’s campuses will set the standard for academic freedom. 

Our movement is not beholden to the GOP’s war on dissent, nor compromised by the Democrats’ blind allegiance to a foreign right-wing government that demands silence. 

That’s why I’m running with the Green Party. Because breaking from this corrupt system is the only way forward for the future of our education.  

Peace and Power,

Dr. Butch Ware

         

Butch Ware is running for Governor of California as a Green Party candidate to fight for a government that puts people first, not corporations. An anti-imperialist historian, scholar of revolution, and lifelong champion for justice, Dr. Ware is committed to building a California where healthcare is a right, housing is affordable, and our environment is protected. Join the rebellion and help us create a better future for all. Donate today, and let’s show the corporate parties that the people are in charge!

Paid for by Butch Ware for Governor 2026