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When you host an event , your audience does not have a right to drown out a speaker with heckling or to engage in disruptive activities , such as rushing the stage . Although some groups argue that such disruptions are themselves a protected form of speech , AJC strongly believes ( and the law currently establishes ) that such disruptions are not speech and not constitutionally protected . If an audience substantially disrupts the speech , a university should generally take action against the disruptive audience members , and you should urge it to do so . Many universities have policies that explicitly require school officials to prevent and punish such disruptions . Additionally , if your school generally prevents or punishes similar disruptions of other events , it may be legally obligated to treat disruptors at your event similarly under equality principles .
Public universities also cannot censor your message or cancel an event out of concerns that there might be disruption . Any public university that did so would effectively be providing government assistance to shutting down speech , implementing what courts have condemned as a “ heckler ’ s veto .” Instead , your school must allow the speech to continue unless violence is imminent and cannot otherwise be prevented .
While private universities do not have the same constitutional obligation as public universities to respect free speech , many schools have strong free speech policies that mirror the demands of the First Amendment . Additionally , an array of federal antidiscrimination statutes and local laws also effectively prohibit even private universities from censoring particular groups — including Jewish students — from engaging in advocacy .