Protesters disrupted Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s lecture at the University of Minnesota Law School on Monday.
“Not the court, not the state, the people must decide their fate,” a group of around eight protesters stood and chanted during Coney Barrett’s lecture.
About 10 protesters were removed from the event: pic.twitter.com/zRBgjHpYaM
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) October 16, 2023
Law School Interim Dean William McGeveran warned protesters ahead of time that disruptions would not be tolerated.
Coney Barrett was invited to speak at the university as part of the Stein Lecture Series, which has featured five other Supreme Court justices in the past, including the late justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Antonin Scalia.
Coney Barrett spoke during her lecture to a packed auditorium, discussing her tenure as a Supreme Court justice and some of her background prior to her nomination.
The disruptors, who also led chants about abortion and affirmative action, were given repeated warnings from the podium by McGeveran, but they failed to stop yelling and were escorted out by police. They held cloth signs reading “Abort the court,” “Defend affirmative action,” and “Abortion is a human right.”
The group of disruptors were then greeted outside the building with cheers from the gathered protesters.
Around 200 people were gathered outside the Northrop Auditorium where the event was taking place, holding signs and chanting. A handful of protesters showed up dressed in “Handmaid’s Tale” costumes.
At one point the crowd of protesters turned around to face the police who were guarding the building and flipped them off, shouting “F– 12.”
Protesters demanded free abortions and called pro-life pregnancy care centers “predatory,” claiming that they are placed in minority neighborhoods to take advantage of minority women.
“Boots, boots, boots on the ground. We’re here, we’re here, to shut this s– down,” protesters yelled.
Protesters at the U of M during Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s lecture: “We’re here to shut this sh*t down.” pic.twitter.com/0wcUlJL368
— Hayley Feland (@HayleyFeland) October 16, 2023
Demonstrators with megaphones expressed their displeasure with Coney Barrett’s personal beliefs about abortion, leading the group in a chant of, “Pro-life, that’s a lie. You don’t care if people die.”
Posters hanging on a university bulletin board advertising the protest said, “Abort the court. Help welcome Amy Coney Barrett to campus Minneapolis-style.” It continued, “No good SCOTUS justices, no bad protesters.”
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
