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College Republicans at Syracuse University hosted guest speaker Brandon Straka, a convicted Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot participant, at SU’s Gifford Auditorium Wednesday night. Straka discussed his #WalkAway campaign and his journey away from the “far-left media” and liberal politics.

During the event, Straka encouraged attendees to always be “skeptical, analytical and seek the truth behind false narratives.” His presence sparked backlash from other on-campus organizations, including College Democrats at SU and members of SU’s Student Association.

“Far-left ideology is really pervasive, and it is everywhere,” Straka said. “I think that so many people grow up believing that you can trust teachers and professors, and that if you hear something in school, it means it’s true. And that’s not true anymore.”

Ahead of Straka’s talk Wednesday, SA denied the College Republicans funding for the event and the College Democrats at SU condemned his presence on campus in a Sept. 25 Instagram post.

College Republicans members declined multiple requests from The Daily Orange to comment on the event.

Straka, a social media influencer with over 852,000 followers on X, has been praised by prominent Republican politicians and public figures, including former President Donald Trump and former Fox News talk show host Tucker Carlson.

A self-described “former liberal,” Straka gained national attention in January 2022 when he was sentenced to three years of probation and fined $5,000 for his participation in the Capitol riots. Straka said he was wrongfully charged.

During the event, Straka said he was initially “horrified” by the idea of Trump as president after he won the 2016 election and said he cried after major news sites started calling Trump’s victory.

In the months following the election, the former New York City-based hairstylist described his experience of beginning to feel that the media he consumed was “full of lies.” After months of reading, watching videos and other research that he said “debunked” the left, Straka decided to leave the Democratic Party.

He said 90% of his friends stopped talking to him and accused him of “joining a cult” after he made his decision to join the Republican Party. As he lost many people from his past, Straka said he wanted to build an online community with other former Democrats who had similar experiences.

In 2018, Straka founded #WalkAway, a Facebook community for Democrats-turned-Trump supporters. He said his story quickly went viral on social media, and he was asked to join Carlson, Laura Ingraham and other hosts’ shows on Fox News to spread his campaign.

Throughout the event, Straka repeatedly described the political left as “cultish” and “lacking in curiosity.” He claimed that liberals tried to “annihilate” him through lies as he began sharing his ideas on social media.

As the #WalkAway campaign grew, Straka and his team garnered increasing national attention. In 2018, then-President Trump tweeted, “#WalkAway movement marches today in DC. Congratulations to Brandon Straka for starting something very special,” after Straka organized a march encouraging Democrats to renounce their party.

After the 2020 election, Straka said he was invited to speak at the Jan. 6 protests at the Capitol. He denied that he committed any crimes by participating in the demonstrations. On Oct. 6, 2021, Straka pleaded guilty to federal disorderly conduct charges.

Straka claimed he was unjustly charged for his actions on Jan. 6 and said the FBI, the United States Department of Justice and media outlets collaborated to make him out to be a “violent insurrectionist.”

Straka said he was forced into a plea agreement to avoid decades in prison as a result of the two felonies and one misdemeanor he was charged with. He said the plea agreement he signed was inaccurate, but he signed it to avoid jail time.

Straka said his Jan. 6 experience is further evidence of media outlets skewing information, despite statements made during his sentencing where he apologized to all members of the Capitol Police.

Straka’s presence on campus has incited debate since it was first proposed by College Republicans. Tyler Toledo, president of College Democrats, said the groups’ Instagram post condemning Straka’s presence on campus received thousands of engagements with their page.

“(Having) a speaker of this nature is irresponsible,” Toledo said. “Left, right, conservative, liberal, having somebody that engaged in an act like this come to our campus … it is quite disrespectful.”

During SA’s Sept. 16 meeting, the assembly vetoed a funding allocation request from College Republicans to cover Straka’s room, board and travel expenses. Assembly members pointed to Straka’s criminal history as reason to question his presence on campus. One assembly member said the event would “not be in the best interest of students.”

Toledo said it’s important for the university to protect freedom of speech and allow students to host any event of their choice, except in cases where hateful rhetoric is presented. Toledo encouraged the College Republicans to consider alternative options in the future.

As College Democrats is not yet a registered student organization, the organization will not protest Straka’s presence, Toledo said. No protestors were present at Wednesday’s event.

Throughout Straka’s speech, two SU Department of Public Safety officers sat in the back of Gifford Auditorium with others stationed outside the doors of the building.

One attendee, who requested to be unnamed, said she appreciated the event.

“It is not often that I get to be in an area with a lot of people with the same political opinions as me, so it is exciting for me when I can be in a space where I can be completely myself,” she said.

Published on October 3, 2024 at 2:55 am

Contact Duncan: digreen@syr.edu