Colbert Defends Anti-Israel Protests, Shamed Anti-Lockdown Voices

Stephen Colbert discovered free speech this week.

For years, Colbert either ignored attacks on free expression or even cheered them on.

He looked the other way when intrepid journalists revealed Big Tech significantly suppressed speech, courtesy of the Twitter Files. He tut-tutted the rise of Cancel Culture and its insidious impact on comedy.

He chortled when the woke mob canceled books by beloved author Dr. Seuss.

Now, suddenly, Colbert is using his CBS pulpit to defend speech. What changed?

Politics.

The pro-Palestinian protests raging across campuses all hail from the Left. They’ve destroyed property, prevented students from attending class, threatened Jewish students and echoed terrorist talking points.

All of the above coaxed Colbert to rise to their defense.

“It’s their First Amendment right,” Colbert said on Tuesday’s “The Late Show” telecast, assuming it’s done peacefully. Note: It isn’t, something he aggressively downplayed.

Instead, the propagandist attacked police officers summoned to restore order on multiple campuses.

“And it’s not just at Columbia. Yesterday, cops arrested at least 100 protesters at UT Austin. This morning they arrested at least 30 protesters at UNC Chapel Hill. Yes, college administrators are using the classic de-escalation tactic of sending in heavily armed police and threatening to call the National Guard,” Colbert said, ignoring the obvious context.

He also ignored a Jewish student getting physically blocked from attending class at UCLA along with many antisemitic chants across the country.

Brave Jewish UCLA student who was denied entry to the university building by anti-Israel protesters delivers powerful speech calling out the masked activists.

“Whilst they cower behind their masks and hide who they are, we stand tall and proudly voice our message to the world.” pic.twitter.com/iZDZ0kjWsd

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 30, 2024

It’s possible the show taped before he could learn about this:

100+ Californian Jews and their allies have arrived at the “Liberated Zone” on the UCLA campus and are tearing it down.

It comes after the pro-Hamas students and activists beat a Jewish girl unconscious on campus grounds a few hours earlier. pic.twitter.com/dlNKQvg2wf

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) May 1, 2024

But that’s what Colbert does best, leave out vital information that clashes with his progressive narrative. It’s why he pretended Special Counsel Robert Hur’s blistering assessment of President Joe Biden’s mental state actually declared the leader mentally sharp.

It’s noteworthy that in another part of the monologue, Colbert and his sycophantic audience cheered the notion that former President Donald Trump might be jailed for violating his gag order.

It’s even worse, though.

RELATED: CAN COLBERT IGNORE ‘GENOCIDE JOE’ CHANTS?

During the pandemic, Colbert shamed small business owners who peacefully protested against lockdowns we now know were both ineffective and cruel.

Did Colbert defend their free speech rights at the time? Did he agree to disagree with their points of view?

No. He mocked them, tying their messaging to the MAGA movement.

Colbert: Not All Protests Are Created Equal

The New York Times cited at least three times when Colbert’s anti-science shtick got the better of him. And it’s worth noting Colbert didn’t use this logic to mock BLM protests of the same era.

“Many of the protesters lamented the loss of their everyday activities, like this woman in Wisconsin with the sign, ‘I want a haircut.’ Uh, looks like your sign has a typo. We fixed it for you. It should read, ‘I want to endanger the lives of your grandparents in exchange for frosted tips.’”

“Now we’ve all been isolating for over a month now, and some of us are starting to go a little kooky in the old squirrel cage, like a handful of idiots who were out this weekend protesting against social distancing. For instance, this man in Washington State, carrying the sign ‘Give me liberty, or give me Covid-19.’ Buddy, you’re in a large crowd, you’re not wearing a mask, you’re not six feet away from people — you might not need to choose.” 

“Just because you have cabin fever doesn’t give you the right to go out and spread ‘fever’ fever!”

All the lockdown protesters had to do was destroy property, scream antisemitic slogans and interrupt college education for thousands to earn Colbert’s approval.