Bulwark Takes The Right is Now AGAINST Free Speech on Campus (w/ Alex Bronzini-Vender)
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Jan 10, 2026 Tim Miller chats with Alex Bronzini-Vender, a Harvard student and New York Times opinion writer, about the surprising shift in campus speech dynamics where Republicans now champion speech restrictions. They discuss the rise of anti-woke politics and how federal pressures have reshaped free speech on campuses. Alex critiques Harvard's antisemitism training and argues that fears of unsafety are often exaggerated. The conversation highlights the double standards in consequences faced by student activists and how safety claims serve as political leverage.
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Right Repurposes Speech Policing
- The American right has repurposed speech-policing tactics once used by the left, turning them against campus free speech.
- Federal pressure now enforces speech rules, making the current climate more censorious than peak woke.
Mandatory Antisemitism Training At Harvard
- Harvard required an antisemitism sensitivity training tied to the IHRA examples and Department of Education guidance.
- The training encouraged reviewing IHRA examples that limit certain criticisms of Israel.
Definitions Can Silence Political Speech
- Broad IHRA-style definitions can preclude protected political speech like likening Israel to Nazi Germany.
- Alex argues universities already have rules to punish antisemitism; enforcement, not new definitions, is the issue.
