At the University of North Texas, a student says she was removed from class after condemning her peers for cheering the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. In a video shared online, she challenged classmates for applauding violence. Instead of protecting her, she reports that the professor told her to leave. Since then, she has faced harassment and threats for speaking out.

No student should ever be punished for denouncing violence. This is not about left or right politics — it is about the most basic principle of higher education: that students must be free to express themselves without fear of retaliation. Universities are meant to foster debate, not silence it.

When a student is shouted down or pushed out for their views, every voice on campus is at risk. Today it is a conservative student. Tomorrow it could be a progressive one, or someone speaking up about their faith, their identity, or their rights. Once intimidation is tolerated, free speech loses all meaning.

The University of North Texas has pledged to uphold academic freedom and protect its community. Those promises must be kept. That means investigating what happened in this classroom, protecting the student from retaliation, and making clear that all UNT students have the right to speak freely — even when their words are unpopular.

We are calling on President Harrison Keller and the UNT System Board of Regents to take immediate action. They must launch an independent investigation into this incident, enforce accountability for misconduct, and issue a public statement affirming that UNT defends free speech for every student, regardless of political belief.

Classrooms should be safe spaces for learning, not battlegrounds where students are punished for speaking their conscience. If UNT allows harassment and retaliation to go unchecked, it fails in its duty to every student it serves.

Sign if you believe UNT must defend this student and guarantee free speech rights for all.