Washington College: Protesters Disrupt, Force Cancellation of Event Featuring Princeton Professor

On September 7, 2023, protesters interrupted a Washington College event featuring Princeton professor Robert George by playing loud music, shouting, and whistling to drown out his speech. Eventually, the event organizer escorted George from the venue before he finished his speech, all while campus security reportedly stood by and watched. FIRE wrote Washington College on September 14 explaining that while the school rightly publicly condemned the disruption after the event, it needed to educate its staff concerning their obligations to prevent substantive disruptions during expressive campus events in the future. On September 20, Washington College President Michael J. Sosulski responded to FIRE’s letter stating the college would educate its security on how to engage with protesters to ensure expressive events avoid disruption and/or abrupt cancellation.