Sean Penn's Speech Interrupted By College Republican

Sean Penn delivered a speech at San Francisco State University, the text of which is here. Towards the end of the speech the president of the College Republicans stood up, faced the audience and held a few protest signs. He was then confronted by a Kucinich supporter.

Comments

[maryoga7]

08:33 AM on 12/12/2007

Thank you Sean Penn. I was moved by your vision of what great TV it would be if we elect a truly great Statesman with heart and guts like Dennis Kucinich. I hope that more high profile and popular people come out behind Kucinich. I hope he gets more opportunities to speak in debates and in the media in general.

[Passenger57]

08:09 AM on 12/12/2007

I've read all the comments to this point. With all the comments posted by people who are apparently supporters of the Bush administration,whenever someone asks why the Republican kid isn't in Iraq, no response is given. I think it's because the next logical question they have to ponder is why THEY aren't in Iraq - or Afghanistan,for that matter(unless they have some physical problem,of course).
And the kid WAS an interruption,silent or not, just as surely as if he simply walked through dressed as a rodeo clown and took his seat.He was a distraction. At a lot of Republican events, people who even LOOK like they might protest are removed before they can even exercise their right to do so. At the 2000 Republican Convention, members of a puppet theatre group had their props confiscated (some destroyed)and some were arrested before they could even protest. Antiwar groups were infiltrated by state police.In 2004, the NYPD presented video of a so-called out of control prrotestor;unfortunately for them, other people stepped forward with UNEDITED video of the same event that proved that the cops EDITED their tapes to make the guy appear GUILTY.
Our freedoms are going down the tubes.Most of us are frogs in that pot of water...

[Bendersky]

06:59 AM on 12/12/2007

"...I guess that's the lib way when you don't agree with someone. Yell, scream, throw pies and then try to assault someone."

Boy, 1will, you have us liberals pegged. We are SOOOOO out of line. We should follow the republican lead of just starting a war with people we don't agree with...or bullying them...or fear mongering them...or just making up facts on the spot...or publicly humiliating (ala' Rush and Bill etc). Yep--we are so out of line.

[BuzzingAlong]

02:56 AM on 12/12/2007

Another young college republican NOT SERVING HIS COUNTRY IN IRAQ.

[RitchieG]

01:46 AM on 12/12/2007

Ari Fleischer (well known leftist, liberal, commie, fascist): Americans need to watch what they do and watch what they say.

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring03/Martin/pressconferencespage.htm

[jasonball]

10:26 PM on 12/11/2007

Wow no taser. No armed authority deciding what is valid and what isn't. Just a silent protester and respect for his freedom of expression. And the only time armed authority got involved was to remove the one student who had assaulted the other by taking his sign. It's almost as though this took place in the United States - can't be.

[NewRiver]

07:17 PM on 12/11/2007

Yet another erroneous HuffPo headline. The speech goes on UNINTERRUPTED while the College GOP "protests" silently. Indeed, kudos to Penn for continuing on. The speech is interrupted when the Kucinich supporter gets up and tries to look "smart" by countering the Penn protester.

Should the guy stood in front of Penn? No, it was rude. There were better and more polite ways to express his thoughts of Penn. However, accusing him of interrupting the speech is simply incorrect.

[gowestyoungman]

05:42 PM on 12/11/2007

Some of the right wingers posting here have their fascist warmongering mixed up. Fascists were in Spain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Stalins USSR, Mao's China, Pol Pots Cambodia. They were the aggressors. The killers. The warmongers. In the US the left advocates against war while the right advocates for it. Now tell me who is the fascist? It's a simple one. Bgronni help me out here. I'm waiting on your answer.

[SunshineDaydream]

05:29 PM on 12/11/2007

What is Blackwater’s Role in the 2008 Presidential Race?

http://www.democracynow.org/2007/12/10/what_is_blackwaters_role_in_the

[DELICIOUS]

05:12 PM on 12/11/2007

THAT'S WHY THE REPUKLICANTS TRANSPORT THEIR LOYAL OATH TAKING HYPOCRITAL HAND PUPPETS WITH THEM ON BUSES, TRAINS AND PLANES. LOOKS ARE DECEIVING AND THE GOP EXPLOITS IT EVERY TIME.

[Plus15]

04:30 PM on 12/11/2007

Please explain:

When the Kucinich counter protester headed back to his seat after confronting the Republican bozo disturbing the event he was immediately grabbed and removed by police.

Why was the young republican protester allowed to stand in front of Sean Penn, the guest speaker for the entirety of his speech, with no "security" interference?

[zizyphus]

04:17 PM on 12/11/2007

Right on, Sean Penn. Kucinich for President!

And yes, let the City show us how protesters should be treated, not tasered, but politely considered, and politely, if need be, escorted outside.

[Bigtexxx]

02:10 PM on 12/11/2007

I think the guy should have been allowed to protest. Outside. A couple of blocks away. Behind barricades. Watched by police. You know--those free speech zones popularized by the Repubes. Everybody loves those, don't they?

[CFAmick]

01:45 PM on 12/11/2007

Sean Penn has yet to say or do anything unAmerican, such as start false wars, torture foreigners, or sell out public interest to the highest bidder.

[SunshineDaydream]

01:27 PM on 12/11/2007

Bush is going in the wrong way. And I dare say, that is what the strategy of his administration is, is just to wipe out government's purpose for any social and economic justice at all. And I'm going to take the country in an opposite direction than he's taking it.
Dennis Kucinich