Right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro condemns Hamas at sold-out talk in Gainesville

After Ben Shapiro’s talks at campuses across the country, he invites those who disagree with him to cut to the front of the ever-growing Q&A line in the name of civil discourse − or, as he often calls it, “owning the libs.”

The controversial far-right podcast host of "The Ben Shapiro Show" spoke before a sold-out crowd at the University of Florida Wednesday at the request of the Republican student group Young Americans for Freedom, taking much of his time focusing on the war in Israel.

Shapiro, who is Jewish and lives in Florida, delivered a speech entitled “Hamas is evil, and its supporters are Jew-haters,” affirming a pro-Israel stance and espousing his usual conservative talking points. However, criticism of The Daily Wire co-founder's takes on puberty blockers, feminism and gender-affirming health care for minors struck a chord with one of the first few students who asked "Is circumcision not also bodily mutilation?"

“Nope,” Shapiro said with a grin. “I’m circumcised and my d*** works just fine.”

The crowd, which filled the entire orchestra of the Phillips Center for Performing Arts, erupted in laughter, and the student was promptly rushed away from the mic.

Shapiro's appearance and primary topic of choice come at a time when many can find themselves agreeing with him for once, even for a left-leaning city like Gainesville. Both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian groups have hosted events this month locally to condemn the Hamas-led attacks and show solidarity with people losing their lives.

Hamas − an Islamist terrorist militant movement that governs 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip − launched a surprise attack on Israel earlier this month, leading to a declaration of war and killing hundreds of innocent civilians, including children.

On Oct. 9, a vigil was held by student Jewish groups, though it erupted into a stampede after hundreds ran from a perceived threat. Campus police later said it was due to a misunderstanding, while many said they were on edge and already fearful of an attack. UF President Ben Sasse even warned Jewish students of potential protests.

Protest outside

Over the years, Shapiro has garnered criticism for statements criticizing the declassification of homosexuality as a mental illness, legalization of same-sex marriage and the aims of the Black Lives Matter movement. He has also argued systemic racism isn’t a widespread issue in contemporary American society and has been accused of downplaying climate change.

Outside the venue Wednesday, a waited group of about 30 protesters and LGBTQ advocates who hosted a “Wet A** Protest” − a reference to a viral video of Shapiro criticizing the song “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. They spent the night holding rainbow flags and a sign that read “F*gs don’t care about your feelings,” heckling passersby and dancing to songs like “LGBT” by Cupcakke and “Toxic” by Britney Spears.

When attendees trickled out of the venue at the end of the event, they clashed with the protesters for about 15 minutes while the UF Police Department officers stood by. Shoving Israeli flags and rainbow ones in each others’ faces, each shouted different chants; among them were “You hate Jews!” and “Get a bucket and a mop, Ben Shapiro is a flop.”

More: Florida Senator Jason Pizzo kicks off ‘Campus Conversations’ college tour of Florida

Wednesday wasn’t his first time speaking at UF.

In 2017, he was paid $20,000 to serve as a speaker for the Accent Bureau, which regularly hosts free lectures on campus. Shapiro’s visit was met with protesters outside the venue then, too.

This year, he was only paid $5,000 to speak, and Young Americans for Freedom spent an additional $5,000 for space rental and $500 for posters.

YAF has fought for its right to bring whoever the group wants to campus before with the support of student funds, bringing other controversial speakers like author Dinesh D’Souza and Donald Trump Jr. In 2018, it filed a lawsuit against UF for denying it student activity funds to pay for guest speakers. UF ended up settling the lawsuit, paying YAF $66,000.

Shapiro's speech

Throughout his speech, which lasted about 30 minutes, Shapiro took attendees through the history of Israel and why he believes Jewish people have the right to claim the country as their ancestral homeland. He dispelled what he feels are common arguments against Israel, asserting that anti-Zionism, the movement against a Jewish state, is anti-Semitic.

“Anti-Zionism is an incredibly shallow cover story for Jew-hatred,” Shapiro said. “You can’t destroy a Jewish name without killing a shitload of Jews.”

Caitlyn McCoy, president of YAF’s UF chapter, said the event’s timing couldn’t have been better to give him a platform to express his support of Israel as tensions rise in the Israel-Hamas War. She’s looked up to Shapiro for years and used to watch his video with her grandfather, she said.

More: 'I assumed I was getting shot at': Dozens injured after UF vigil for Israel erupts in chaos

McCoy began the event by calling the planning process “long and arduous.” The group had trouble with students ripping down their posters, and she said “intolerant leftists” tried to get the event shut down through protest and peer pressure.

“We’re not going to back down out of something just because people disagree,” McCoy told The Sun. “And if you disagree, come ask a question. We encourage you to do so.”

Gylla Macgregor, 50, said she brought her son Angus to the event because they appreciate Shapiro’s straightforward rhetoric. His call for the end of Hamas is warranted, she said.

“I think he’s right to call on that,” Macgregor said. “Hamas needs to be obliterated … They need to be wiped off the planet.”

Finding something productive

Elsewhere on campus, at Norman Tunnel and Turlington Hall, UF College Democrats tried to channel their opposition into something productive − signing petitions to get abortion rights on the state ballot and learning about youth voter participation.

Sabrina Briceno, the group’s president and a 21-year-old senior studying public relations and political science, said her group didn’t encourage people to go anywhere near the event.

In March, two UF students protesting in support of abortion clashed with police, resulting in charges for resisting arrest with violence and striking a police officer. Both were trespassed from all UF properties for three years. That same month, the University of South Florida, a group of student protesters now known as the “Tampa 5” were also hit with felony charges.

The danger of protest, on Florida university campuses specifically, isn’t worth the reward, Briceno said.

“We didn’t think going with Kazoos, directly protesting him at the event, was going to be productive,” she said. “Or even safe.”

Shapiro isn’t done with his campus tours yet − he’ll move on to speak at the University of Central Florida on Oct. 25 and the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Nov. 6.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Protesters clash outside Ben Shapiro event at UF