Skidmore student says 'cancel culture' blocked Young Americans for Liberty chapter

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A college student at a school in New York said that she and other students were the target of a "cancel culture campaign" that resulted in them not being able to form a Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) chapter.

Hannah Davis and two of her fellow classmates at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, wanted to form a YAL chapter at their school. Their goal was to promote freedom of speech on college campuses and destroy "group think."

Davis and her classmates then came under attack from an alleged "cancel culture campaign" that included a Change.org petition and not only targeted their burgeoning organization, but the students themselves.

The alleged "cancel culture campaign" led to their YAL chapter being rejected for organization on campus by the Student Government Association.

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"A cancel culture campaign was organized against us which they coined as holding students accountable for their actions," Davis told the Times-Union, which first broke the story. "YAL at Skidmore has not participated in any of the hateful behavior that they want us to take accountability for."

"This idea of collectivized guilt resulted in members of our chapter being forced to leave due to harassment," Davis added. "I have been subjected to endless harassment, false accusations and threats of violence in which Skidmore has been slow in addressing properly."

The petition against the formation of a YAL chapter at Skidmore claimed that the national YAL group had engaged "pattern of racism, homophobia, and transphobia cannot be disputed."

It also alleged the school had become "increasingly hostile" to students of color and that it was "no coincidence that this club is being proposed following months of bold activism by students of color."

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The Student Government Association told Davis that "concerns of hate speech and making students on campus feel unsafe" were the reasons for the rejection. Davis alleged the Student Government Association’s decision was biased.

Skidmore College President Mark Connor told the Times-Union that the decision for a YAL chapter to be established at the school fell to the Student Government Association.

"The student leaders whom our students have elected as their representatives have the right to vote to decide the outcome of this process," Conner said in a statement to the Times-Union. "This is an important part of the educative experience for our students as they freely conduct their affairs and think about public discourse, civic engagement and campus culture."

"These fundamental rights apply to all, regardless of political persuasion or other differences, including views and beliefs," Conner added. "The rare exception would be hate speech, in which violence is clearly the goal, which would not be tolerated in our community. As always, I encourage all members of our community to exercise their freedom of speech and freedom of association and to engage with each other with patience, courtesy and respect for one another."

Skidmore College, the college’s Student Government Association and YAL did not immediately respond to Fox News’ requests for comment.

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The censorship of conservatives — and now libertarians — at colleges and universities across the country has grown, but the students are fighting back.

Recently, two University of Chicago students, Audrey Unverferth and Evita Duffy, founded a college student-run newspaper dedicated to conservative and libertarian viewpoints.

The motto for their new venture? "Outthink the mob."