Sunday 6 November 2022 10:07 PM Stanford student group to take legal action against university for suppressing ... trends now
A group of students at Stanford University say they plan to take legal action over the school's alleged suppression of free speech.
The potential lawsuit comes from a group that goes by 'Stanford Hates Fun,' which claims they were refused entry and had signage confiscated at Saturday's game over signs they were bringing into the stadium.
The group claims that the school implemented a 'significantly higher' number of security guards for the game and confiscated signs made by the student and even making some take off clothing with their battle-cry.
The security guards were also specifically placed at the student entrance of the stadium, they said in a press release shared by OutKick.
Students unfurled a banner reading 'Stanford Hates Fun' during the recent football game against Washington State on November 5
OutKick writer Grayson Weir shared a photo of Stanford students carrying an 'Admin takes L's' banner in response to the school's alleged censorship
Stanford University students say they have had their First Amendment rights restricted by the school over their restriction of signage reading 'Stanford Hates Fun' during a recent game
'On Saturday, November 5, Stanford Students were restricted from entering the football game with signs and banners saying Stanford Hates Fun, regardless of size and format,' the group said.
'Security also made the bizarre request of asking students to partially remove their shirts to confirm that they weren't carrying any signage under their shirts, most of whom had no signage or awareness,' the group claimed.
The students say that they specifically consulted the approved and permitted items list and signage was not against the rules.
When they were turned away or had their signs taken, they say they received 'different answers from different staff' over why they were being restricted.
'We therefore have reason to believe that these signs were prohibited specifically because of their content,' the group wrote.
'If it is the case that signs were prohibited based on content, we believe that to be a violation of Stanford's free speech responsibilities under California's Leonard Law.'
An article from the Stanford Daily, posted in May 2020, called the law a 'controversial' statute that 'extends some First Amendment protections to students at private colleges in the state.'
The group, who have previously brought signs to games, say that it was the university's desire to censor them.
Video of students holding up a sign that managed to slip through security's cracks show security guards descending upon the group.
The guards allegedly tried to tear the banner down but were unable to get through the students who were in support of the message.
Video from Saturday's game showed security guards approach the crowd of students who were holding up a 'Stanford Hates Fun'
