NORTHAMPTON — Beneath a waving Confederate flag and MAGA banner, twenty white people shouted proudly on the corner of Elm and Prospect. Across the street, Smith students wrapped in pride flags kissed each other. A projected image declared, “Speaker Pelosi, Fight for our future!” on the Campus Center. Scattered police officers, campus safety patrollers, and Secret Service agents watched blankly.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke to hundreds of students, faculty, and community members inside John M. Greene Hall. One student, who asked that her name be redacted, won a ticket through the lottery, which was made available to all students.
“I’m just excited to hear what she has to say,” said the student. “This is an important moment.”
Several residents of Massachusetts and neighboring states came to demonstrate against Speaker Pelosi. Protestors waved flags and signs, which bore pro-Trump slogans, “Blue Lives Matter,” “Stop the Plandemic,” “Joe Biden has blood on his hands,” and a large banner reading: “Join the largest TERRORIST ORGANIZATION IN AMERICA, Become a DEMOCRAT today!”
18-year-old Patrick wielded a large Confederate flag attached to a pitchfork. He did not give his last name. A self-described antifascist, Patrick wore an M1 military helmet bearing several symbols often associated with reactionary right-wing and anti-communist movements. He lives in Connecticut, but drove to Northampton after attending separate demonstrations today to advocate for the release of several members of the Rise of the Moors Militia.
Many students, especially students of color, were afraid and angry seeing signs, flags, and slogans commonly associated with white supremacist groups so close to their houses on campus. During and after the protest, Smith students of color expressed fear of leaving their houses.
“I have never seen such offensive flags in-person before,” said Ehle DeVaughn ‘25.
“I’m discouraged by the way our country is going,” said one middle-aged woman standing with the protestors, who did not give her name. “I wish the younger generation could appreciate the rights you have.” She held a sign reading “Cancel culture–you’re next.”
Protesters shouted obscenities directed at Speaker Pelosi through megaphones. Roughly 150 counter-protestors responded, “Let’s go, lesbians,” “Our campus–go home,” and “Black Lives Matter.” Several students stood on cinder blocks and waved pride flags. Cheers included calls for abortion access, support for sex workers, and transgender rights. Several students also engaged in protest through exposing their breasts to the protestors or kissing other students.
A different group of students organized a separate protest on Chapin Lawn. They focused on holding Speaker Pelosi accountable. Leading the protest was a group of Smith students, mostly from the class of 2024 and 2025. The protestors encouraged The Sophian to reach out to multiple students and emphasized its horizontal organization. Many of these students felt disheartened by the perceived performativity of the counter-protestors.
“They were too busy kissing in front of Republicans and making TikToks,” stated one student, who did not wish to be named. The student felt that the counter-protestors were disorganized and wished that they had been more engaged with the accountability protest.
“Can’t they get their rocks off another way?” Asked another organizer. “I’m disappointed in the student body. Most people don’t even like Pelosi. Why are you supporting her through counter-protest? The Smith student body wastes their time engaging in petty conflict when there’s actual shit that needs to be done.”
The accountability protest was held on Chapin Lawn. 20 students remained outside for the duration of Speaker Pelosi’s speech. The protest focused on pressuring Speaker Pelosi into supporting several initiatives, which the group printed onto flyers and projected onto the Campus Center. After Pelosi’s speech ended, the group chanted their demands through a megaphone outside of John M. Greene Hall as Pelosi exited and until her car left Chapin Lawn.
“We came together to stir up the student body and get them talking. We want to spread awareness of what Pelosi stands for and what she doesn’t. We demand that she endorse the Green New Deal, Covid relief, and Medicare for All,” said one organizer from the class of 2025.
Students gave a variety of responses when asked their views on Speaker Pelosi. Several expressed their discontent with her moderate politics. The Sophian did not encounter any Smith students who felt that Speaker Pelosi’s views were too radically left.
“I’m not feeling too good about Pelosi either,” said Abby Murphy ‘25, an attendee of the counter-protests. “I think that [the right-wing protesters’] hate of her is less about her as an individual, and more about the system that she represents.”
“She’s a stagnant force in American politics, and is more conservative than many conservative politicians,” said an organizer of the accountability protest, who did not wish to be named. When asked about the protesters, the organizer shook her head. “They took a road trip to yell at a bunch of 18-year-olds. They have rocks for brains.”
Protesters also expressed anger and frustration at Smith College for bringing Pelosi to campus. Zoë Morris ‘24 expressed their discontent with the college in an Instagram story that was widely shared on other students’ social media accounts.
“The white leaders of this college and their colleagues take a very deceptive, hedonistic approach to their activism,” Morris told The Sophian. “They’re so consumed by their need to virtue signal, they can’t even recognize how out-of-touch they are. I don’t think they had the values of the student body, especially students of color, in mind when they planned this.”
Several students felt it was an unsafe choice to bring in Pelosi due to the subsequent influx of right-wing protestors. Protestors were unmasked and several claimed to be armed. Many students also expressed concern over the increase in police presence on campus.
Debra Duncan, the interim Campus Safety Director, felt the safety measures in place were adequate and appropriate. Police officers from Northampton and surrounding towns, as well as capitol police officers and Secret Service agents, extensively patrolled the areas surrounding John M. Greene Hall and President McCartney’s house.
“We are prepared. Our goal is to keep everybody safe and to keep this a safe event,” Duncan stated. A Northampton police officer repeated similar sentiments and did not comment further.
Some students felt that the safety measures in place were inadequate. Several counter-protesters confronted the protesters. They were disappointed by the lack of police presence during the incident, which began when one man yelled slurs at a student standing under a pride flag. A group of first-year students went to confront the protesters, and one student was pushed into the street. A larger group of students then rushed over, after which one male right-wing protester broke up the crowd. According to the three students who initially went across the street, the man informed them that several of the protesters were armed. The group was frustrated that campus safety and Northampton police were not present to de-escalate.
“I didn’t see a Campo member standing for a prolonged period of time [near the protests] until after I was hate-crimed,” said the student who was pushed. Several others agreed that campus safety should have been involved. A first-year student present during the confrontation later told The Sophian that they felt increased campus safety could have put students of color at risk.
“If Campo had more of a presence it easily could have gone very wrong very fast, especially for the safety of students of color, but I also think it shows that they don’t really stand for our safety. If they had done their job as they claim to, they would’ve been present and trying to protect us,” the student clarified.
Others felt that some of the counter-protesters put them at risk. “This is not the time for you to be a hero or the smartest person on the street. People are having their safety and existence threatened,” Morris said. “Real allies prioritize the well-being of the marginalized before anything else. They walk us home. They make sure we get food to eat. They amplify our voices.”
The conversation continued on social media, with several Smith students issuing statements on their involvement in the counter-protests, or reposting flyers made by the organizers of the accountability protest. These organizers maintained their desire to engage in thoughtful discourse with members of the Smith community. As one organizer stated:
“We are not interested in engaging with MAGA people. We are interested in engaging with the student body, especially those who are pro-Pelosi, to start a conversation.”
(Photo by Mikayla Patel, ’22)
