The New Melissa Click: Meet the American U Professor Who Called Police on Journalists Covering the Milo Protest

Amidst the chaos at Breitbart Tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos’ lecture at American University on Thursday night, a university faculty member threatened to call the police on a freelance journalist who was filming her with his cell phone, leading some to label her “the new Melissa Click.”

University of Missouri professor Melissa Click came under national fire in September 2015 when she infamously attempted to physically remove a student journalist who was reporting on campus protests that happened at the university.

In a similar vein, a media relations staffer at American University created controversy amid protests outside of Yiannopoulos’ lecture when she threatened to call the police on a group of freelance journalists who were filming her overreaction with their camera phones.

Ashe Schow, who also works with the Washington Examiner, filmed the exchange Thursday night as an American University faculty member aggressively confronted the journalist from Schow’s team who was filming her with his camera.

Another video revealed the woman speaking with students about how the university set up safe spaces as an alternative environment for those who felt threatened by Yiannopoulos’ speech.

@AsheSchow All in the name of creating a "safe space" pic.twitter.com/99qBq3anqW

— Hannah Oh (@hannahoh16) April 22, 2016

After the university staff member realized that Schow and her crew were filming her, she threatened to call the police. Although the woman thought that the police would assist her in chastising the journalist, the officer that arrived instead decided to chat with her about her own behavior.

Lol the police came over and she thought they were going to save her but actually they escorted HER away https://t.co/eA1i1q1Her

— Ashe Schow (@AsheSchow) April 22, 2016

According to Schow on Twitter, the police didn’t speak with the journalists and insteaded escorted the university faculty member away.

University faculty members obstructing free expression is not a new phenomenon. The 25th Annual Jefferson Muzzle awards were recently presented to the universities who were most guilty of obstructing speech in favor of protecting feelings. Melissa Click, who caused the initial controversy in Missouri, won in the category of “Efforts to Limit Press Access on Campus.”

Tom Ciccotta writes about Free Speech and Intellectual Diversity for Breitbart. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or on Facebook. You can email him at tciccotta@breitbart.com