Conservative students at the University of Texas are under attack by administrators after liberal classmates disrupted their event and vandalized their property. The controversy stemmed from an “affirmative action bake sale,” an event hosted by the school’s Young Conservatives of Texas chapter.

At the bake sale, students priced bake goods at different tiers based on the customer’s race and gender. By pricing the cookies and brownies at lower prices for black and Hispanic students and higher prices for white and Asian students, the group sought to mimic the standard affirmative action of giving preferential treatment to minorities.

“Our protest was designed to highlight the insanity of assigning our lives value based on our race and ethnicity, rather than our talents, work ethic, and intelligence,” said YCT-UT Chairman, Vidal Castañeda in a statement. “It is insane that institutional racism, such as affirmative action, continues to allow for universities to judge me by the color of my skin rather than my actions.”

The demonstration garnered heavy protest from the university’s liberal students. One of them, Yerim Ashley Choi, the legislative chair of the Queer Students Alliance who has also worked for Battleground Texas, livestreamed the event on Facebook in a post titled “Racists are live at UT Austin.”

In less than 24 hours, Choi’s video has gone viral and has received almost 230,000 views.

In the video, as well as another video by Campus Reform, the angry mob of liberal students attempt to shout down and intimidate the organization into leaving the West Mall. One student stole their bake sale menu and individuals in black masks even pilfered their baked goods.

For those wondering where the adults were, they were there – egging on the mob and then blaming YCT for the disturbance.

Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement Dr. Gregory J. Vincent, who makes more than $330,000 and runs a $50 million department, released an official statement in which he chastised YCT for its “inflammatory and demeaning” event and the “environment of exclusion” they somehow created in a public area of campus with almost 300 protesters.

“Although it is their right to do so, it is deplorable that a few students took advantage of this open forum to direct negative sentiment toward their peers,” said Vincent. “In seeking an audience for their ideas, the YCT resorted to exercising one of the university’s core values to the detriment of others. Such actions are counterproductive to true dialogue on our campus, and it is unrepresentative of the ideals toward which our community strives.”

But if Vincent believes that students should “exhibit respect for each other while holding [diverse] viewpoints” why isn’t he condemning students who destroyed other students’ property or sought to chill their speech?

One suspects Vincent would react far differently if a student had destroyed the display of a pro-abortion or gay rights group. Indeed, as long as the demonstration supports liberal policy goals, university administrators have rigorously protected the speech rights of students to engage in activism.

When students brandished sex toys to protest concealed carry on campus at the beginning of the year, Vincent’s office made no condemnation. It’s only when conservatives speak up and engage in free speech that they are a “detriment” and “unrepresentative.”

Conservatives should demand that college campuses focus more on classrooms and less on the “communities” they create to drive a liberal political agenda.

As for affirmative action? A plank opposing the practice received the support of more than 95% of delegates at the 2016 State Convention of the Republican Party of Texas. It is time that lawmakers and university officials end the practice and support equal opportunity for all Texans.

Cary Cheshire

Cary Cheshire is the executive director of Texans for Strong Borders, a no-compromise non-profit dedicated to restoring security and sovereignty to the citizens of the Lone Star State. For more information visit StrongBorders.org.

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