Michael Shellenberger says there's an 'anti-civilization element' in the anti-Israel campus protests

NEW YORK CITY - Independent journalist Michael Shellenberger is sounding the alarm about the "anti-civilization element" of the anti-Israel protests that have erupted across the country in recent weeks. 

Shellenberger, who is known for his work on the "Twitter Files" that revealed behind-the-scenes machinations on various major stories at the social media giant, spoke earlier this month at the Dissident Dialogues festival in New York City, where he gave a speech about the threats to civilization. 

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Shellenberger insisted civilization "doesn't require that much," listing "law and order, meritocracy [and] cheap energy" as the essentials, adding that "free speech, free and fair elections, free enterprise and equal justice under the law" are specifically needed for a liberal democratic civilization.  

"So those pillars are all under attack by people that I think are in the grip of a secular religion, which starts with this idea that humans are a cancer on the earth and they we're basically very oppressive, to weaker humans and to nature. And to push back on that," Shelleberger said. 

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Independent journalist Michael Shellenberger discusses the threats to civilization at the Dissident Dialogues festival in New York City on May 3, 2024. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)

Regarding the wave of protests, Shellenberger pointed out that the college students are genuinely "upset" and "heartbroken" by the war unfolding in Gaza but it does not excuse the volatile behavior in various instances across the country. 

"You also see a very anti-civilization element in those protests where you see very privileged students making really pretty destructive actions in their campuses, really attacking the basis of their own privilege, which are these campuses and some sense of law and order," Shellenberger said. "I'm a huge free speech advocate, but that doesn't mean that you get to prevent people from walking freely on campus. The limits of freedom of speech lead to the immediate incitements of violence. So when you start to see those lines getting crossed, I think that's a really big concern."

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A group of Columbia University students, advocating for Palestinians, enter the iconic Hamilton Hall building as they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York on April 30, 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Shellenberger, the founder of the Public newsletter who also serves as the University of Austin's CBR Chair of Politics, Censorship and Free Speech, urged leaders of universities to reaffirm commitment to "ideological and political neutrality" and stop taking sides in various conflicts. 

"They need to reaffirm their commitment to freedom of speech, which in the United States is very strong. I mean, we allow Nazis to march through neighborhoods of Holocaust survivors. That was an important Supreme Court ruling," Shellenberger said. "At the same time, you can't block people from moving around a campus. It's not safe to have illegal camping and we already have a huge homeless crisis in our country by letting people camp illegally. So I don't think campuses should allow that."

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Hundreds gathered for the anti-Israel encampment at the University of Chicago. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital)

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"We've got to have some dignity and respect for institutions!" he continued. "I mean, it's very unfortunate if you can go to college or university to see that treated so disrespectfully, I think, makes the whole society less willing to, you know, subsidize higher education, much less forgive student loans."