Student body vice president resigns over free speech disagreement

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Student Government Vice President resigned over a “free speech” disagreement, its Instagram announced last month.

The letter, which announced former Vice President Vindhya Kalipi’s resignation, stated that “there was a fundamental difference of opinion regarding free speech” in response to Matt Walsh’s Oct. 6 visit to screen his “What is a Woman” documentary.

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President Garrett Forrest and Kalipi reportedly held different opinions on “speech’s role in society.” Forrest “believe[s] hate speech should be condemned and combatted, it is rightfully protected by the First Amendment.”

Kalipi, however, “believes the University must take a stand and prohibit hate speech,” the letter read.

“She talked to administrators and looked through existing laws and regulations, and found that unfortunately, hate speech technically falls under the umbrella of free speech,” the letter explained.

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It continued to state that Kapili “disagrees with this entirely” and hoped to form an “advocacy coalition” to restrict hate speech at the “governmental level.”

The letter concludes that Forrest and Kalipi “hold no hostility towards each other” and were “comfortable knowing that neither of [them] compromised on [their] beliefs.”

Campus Reform has reached out to The Illinois Student Government and the university for comment. Best effort was made to contact Kalipi and Forrest. This article will be updated accordingly.