Student Newspaper Suing University After Being Defunded for Mocking ‘Safe Spaces’

A student newspaper at the University of California-San Diego which was defunded after releasing an issue that mocked safe spaces and trigger warnings is now suing the university for freedom of the press violations.

The paper, known as The Koala, was defunded by the university’s student government last year after multiple complaints of bias, having gained a reputation for satirical content and in particular challenging the ideas behind campus censorship.

However, they have now opened legal proceedings against the university for two violations of the first amendment, freedom of speech and freedom of the press, with the aid of The American Civil Liberties Union for San Diego.

In a Facebook post, the publication said, “Today, the ACLU San Diego filed a lawsuit against the UCSD administration and Associated Students citing freedom of the press and freedom of speech violations.”

“As the news broke and reporters and journalists from around the world honed in on UCSD’s campus, media outlets and legal historians quickly realised the gravity of the ensuing ‘trial of the century,'” it stated.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the ACLU claimed that the student government continues to fund left-wing student groups while refusing to provide funding for those “writing about topical issues of public concern” like The Koala, which they say is “classic protected speech.”

Last November, University officials argued that the “The Koala is profoundly repugnant, repulsive, attacking and cruel” and called “on all students, faculty, staff and community members to join us in condemning this publication and other hurtful acts.”

The university officials who signed the condemnation letter have consequently been named in the lawsuit.

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