Student group faced backlash for a graphic resembling recent fatal shooting of Alex Pretti

A national free speech group recently came to the defense of the University of Illinois College Republicans as they face backlash for a social media post about Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Representatives from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression tabled with the Illini Republicans on the quad last week in a show of solidarity with the embattled student group, the Daily Illini reported.

“The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is treating its College Republican club’s pro-ICE political speech like a civil rights violation,” FIRE stated in a post under the headline “Political Speech is Free Speech.”

“UIUC administrators reported the Illini Republicans — a registered student organization — to the Title VI Office, which investigates potential civil rights violations … over an Instagram post,” the group stated.

The controversy began recently after the Illini Republicans posted a graphic cartoon-style image of a masked federal agent pointing a gun at a stumbling man’s head in front of the U.S. flag. The man shares a resemblance with Alex Pretti, who was shot dead by federal immigration agents in January.

The image included the words “only traitors help invaders,” the Daily Illini reported, adding the post also stated “it is, has, and always will be the mandate of our brave public servants, domestic and abroad, to fell the enemies of the United States of America.” 

In response to questions from the student newspaper, the GOP group said “the image is, in fact, not intended to target nor incentivize violence against a particular party.” 

“There is no labeling in the graphic, and there are no identifying features. In short, people are going to take away whatever they want, but reasonably, this graphic does not glorify nor valorize any incident because it lacks any reasonable connection.”

The controversial graphic was deleted, but the post generated a flurry of complaints to administrators.

FIRE wrote to UIUC Feb. 4 “urging it to cease any further review or investigation of the Illini Republicans’ social media post because it was political advocacy protected by the First Amendment.”

“UIUC’s public announcement of a ‘review’ into a student organization’s protected speech raises serious constitutional concerns. As a public institution, UIUC’s regulation of student expression must comport with the First Amendment’s ‘bedrock principle’ of viewpoint neutrality, even toward ideas and views some may find offensive or hateful,” the letter stated.

“It is well-settled that UIUC ‘may not restrict speech or association simply because it finds the views expressed by any group to be abhorrent.'”

FIRE asked for a response by Feb. 18.

A campus spokesman told the Daily Illini that administrators are required by federal law to review and process the Title VI complaints they receive.

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