• A Georgetown University College Republicans “Climate..Rebuttal” event was disrupted by protesters on Thursday night, and campus police had to be called.
• Campus police had to evacuate all attendees, and students were threatened with Code of Conduct violations if they disrupted the event again.

Leftist environmental protesters disrupted the Georgetown University College Republicans counter-event to the MSNBC Climate Forum Thursday night, and campus police had to be called just in order for the conservative group to be able to continue its discussion. 

The College Republicans at Georgetown University hosted a counter-event to the two-day-long MSNBC town hall titled “Climate Forum: A Rebuttal,” where “climate policy & climate science experts” talked to students about an “alternative perspective” on climate change.

However, protesters attempted to disrupt the event, and the Georgetown University Police Department had to be called, according to a video taken by Gabby Hoffman, media strategist and former Leadership Institute field representative. The Leadership Institute is Campus Reform's parent organization. 

At one point, a person dressed as a clown honking a bike horn is seen entering the room and disrupting one of the speakers at the event. 

When police arrived, they asked at least one of the individuals causing the disruption to leave the room. As police asked one protester to leave the room, other protesters began chanting, “What do we want? Climate justice. When do we want it? Now!” After the protesters refused to leave, even after being asked multiple times, police evacuated the entire room. 

Once those in attendance were brought outside of the room, Geoffrey Bible, deputy director of protocol and events at Georgetown University, told attendees that if anyone caused a disruption again, they would be removed and charged with a student code of conduct violation. If you chose to come back in the program, since the disruption has already happened, under the Georgetown speech and expression policies, any further disruptions will cause immediate removal by GU PD,” Bible said. “If you are removed and a Georgetown student, you will be charged with Student Code of Conduct violations. If you are a non-Georgetown student, you will be removed from campus. Please note, failure to provide an ID if you are removed is an additional sanction.”

According to Hoffman, no one at the event was arrested, but the protesters with signs were eventually blocked from entering the classroom.

Hoffman also told Campus Reform that this is just one example of the changing culture on college campuses.

“It’s a shame that differing views on climate change can not be heard without protest or disturbances. Things have changed greatly since I attended college. Wow,” Hoffman said.

After the campus police controlled the disruption, according to a tweet by Hoffman, the executive director of the GU Politics Department, Mo Elleithee, was seen at the event.

Campus Reform reached out to Georgetown University but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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