Cantor, after canceling at Penn, speaks at other universities

Although protesters were enough for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to cancel his speech at Huntsman, he went on to give income-equality speeches at other universities amidst protesting crowds.

On Oct. 28 Cantor addressed approximately 150 students from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He speech, similar to his planned speech at Penn, centered on income-equality and the future of the country.

Although the event ran smoothly, Cantor was still met by protesters. A group of approximately 75 gathered outside the venue.

Unlike when Cantor came to Penn, the event at Northwestern was open to Kellogg graduate students only. Protesters did try to enter the event, but were turned away when they could not produce proper identification.

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• Gallery: Cantor protest at Huntsman Hall

 

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Occupy movement

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Cantor’s Wharton remarks, as prepared for delivery

Solidarity statements

Faculty statement

Graduate student statement

Some of the protesters were members of both the Occupy Northwestern and Occupy Evanston groups.

The attendance policy has raised concerns over whether Cantor’s speech should have been made available to the public or at least the university as a whole. An Oct. 31 article by The Daily Northwestern reported that Occupy Evanston organizer Jack Sigel said, “As students, I would be concerned … Is NU an institution for open inquiry and debate? I don’t think it may even be for students.”

Northwestern’s Campus Republicans were also able to sit down with Cantor before his speech. The meeting was organized through a “tweet-and-greet” between the group’s vice-president, Adam Seidel and Cantor’s office.

Yesterday, Cantor gave a speech to the Ford School of Public Policy at University of Michigan. According to an Oct. 30 Michigan Daily article, the protests were organized by the Washtenaw Community Action Team and was planned to be themed “a funeral for the middle class” in light of Halloween. Protesters were encouraged to dress for the event. According to a live blog of the event, protesters were present outside the event with signs that read “RIP Health Care.”

This is not the first time Cantor has been met with protest. Earlier this year, Cantor visited Harvard University where hundreds of protestors showed up at his speech, according to a Feb. 24 Harvard Crimson article.

Harvard students questioned Cantor about his political beliefs. The first question of the night asked Cantor whether he would be willing to stop the cuts to global health programs if it meant “saving a million lives.”

Though Cantor’s talks at Northwestern and Michigan proceeded more smoothly than at Penn, the Representative is sparking controversy across the country in light of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Recent Cantor speeches at campuses nationwide

View Eric Cantor’s “University Tour” in a larger map

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