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Trump Press Secretary Draws Protests at University of Chicago

HeadlineJan 05, 2017

In Chicago, Donald Trump’s incoming press secretary drew protests Wednesday over his appearance at a panel discussion on the University of Chicago campus. Sean Spicer was preparing to join former Obama adviser David Axelrod in a conversation at the university’s Institute of Politics, when a protester stood up and accused Spicer of “accommodating fascism.”

Moderator: “Sir, with all due respect, there’s an opportunity for you—”

Protester: “You will be announcing the Muslim registry.”

Moderator: “—to pose questions later on. I’m going to ask, sir—”

Protester: “You will be announcing the roundup of Islam—”

Moderator: “—that you give our guests an opportunity to engage in a conversation.”

Protester: “This is not normal, people!”

Spicer’s appearance at the University of Chicago came despite widespread protest on campus. Last August, the university’s dean of students, Jay Ellison, warned undergraduates, “We do not support so-called trigger warnings, we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual 'safe spaces' where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own.”

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