Campus deplatforming attempts have reached a disturbing new milestone. For the first time since FIRE began tracking these incidents, more than 200 attempts to prevent invited speakers from appearing on campus have been recorded in a single year — and 2026 still has nearly three months to go. The previous record, set just last year, has already been shattered. And the problem isn’t confined to one side of the political spectrum.
The attempts are being initiated by actors across the political spectrum — with attempts from the right of the expression exceeding attempts from the left both last year (116 to 64) and this year (96 to 74).
Recent incidents include:
- Fenggang Yang, a professor of sociology and founding director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University, accepted an invitation to deliver the keynote address at the U.S.-China Catholic Association’s 2026 conference at the University of St. Thomas. After Chinese government officials reportedly objected to Yang’s participation, citing his past criticism of the Chinese government, Yang withdrew from speaking at the conference.
- The Chicago Thinker, a conservative student publication at the University of Chicago, reserved Breasted Hall through the university’s Turning Point USA chapter for a “fireside chat” with Tim Pool, host of Timcast IRL, and Jack Posobiec, a political activist and former U.S. Navy intelligence officer. According to the Thinker, the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC), which manages the venue, confirmed the booking on Aug. 30 but canceled it nine days later. ISAC told organizers by email that the event “might be, as the terminology goes ‘controversial,’” and would require heightened security. University administrators reversed this decision.
- At Harvard University, the Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance urged the Kennedy School to disinvite New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof after he wrote about claims of Israeli soldiers using dogs to rape Palestinian detainees. Harvard rejected the demand.
- Turning Point USA scheduled a “Freedom Built to Last: Honoring Charlie Kirk” memorial at Utah Valley University, featuring a number of prominent conservative speakers. Students for a Democratic Society at UVU opposed the event honoring Kirk and his political legacy. The university declined to cancel the event, and it proceeded on Sept. 10.
This year, there have also been six attempts targeting Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, the most of any individual. These attempts failed at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Yale University, Cornell University, and the University of Texas at Austin. Piker’s invitation to speak at the University of Washington was revoked because, according to university officials “the planning process did not meet the required rigor for university-hosted Speaker Series events.”
