STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Republicans in Texas are reflecting the party's broader shift on free speech. A few years ago, Texas passed a law seeking to prevent social media companies from screening the posts of people based on their politics. Now Governor Greg Abbott is going the other way, urging schools to punish students for what they say about the murder of the activist Charlie Kirk. The Texas Newsroom's Lucio Vasquez reports.
LUCIO VASQUEZ, BYLINE: At Texas Tech University last week, a student wearing a Make America Great Again cap stood on campus holding a sign that read RIP Charlie. This caught the attention of another student who swiped at his hat and repeatedly shouted, your homie dead, before she was arrested for assault.
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UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: (Vocalizing).
VASQUEZ: Days later, a Texas State University student introduced himself as Charlie Kirk before a crowd and mockingly slapped his hand against his neck before collapsing. Video clips of both incidents have garnered millions of views. Texas Governor Greg Abbott took to social media to condemn the two students.
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GREG ABBOTT: When we see students who are celebrating an assassination, that is - goes beyond the bounds of what is humane.
VASQUEZ: In both cases, the governor called for students to be punished. And hours later, Texas state officials confirmed in a statement that the student seen in the video was no longer enrolled. As for the Texas Tech student, the school says it can't legally disclose matters related to student conduct. Abbott has also called for the firing of teachers who've made online comments about Kirk's killing. Across the state, several teachers have faced discipline.
HALEY GLUHANICH: To the extent that there's any punishment based solely on someone's speech or expression, that's when we start having a problem.
VASQUEZ: That's Haley Gluhanich with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE.
GLUHANICH: The First Amendment makes it very, very clear offensive speech is protected, hateful speech is protected, poorly timed speech, distasteful speech.
VASQUEZ: Gluhanich says inciting violence is not constitutionally protected, but she believes that many of these statements from students and teachers do not rise to the level of true threats and are protected by the First Amendment. She says the fallout may cause others to self-censor out of fear of retaliation.
GLUHANICH: They are going to think, oh, crap, someone's getting investigated or in trouble for speaking their mind. I better not say what I want to say.
VASQUEZ: The Texas Education Agency says they've received hundreds of complaints over the last week about public school teachers who allegedly commented on the shooting.
For NPR News, I'm Lucio Vasquez in Houston.
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