Tradition Family Property Student Action, a conservative Roman Catholic group, has accused Notre Dame University of censorship for removing their pro-traditional marriage table on campus twice, April 24 and 25.
The pro-marriage group was taken out the first time for failing to obtain a proper official permission. Notre Dame's Student Activities Office apologized for the mix-up and asked them to install their table again the following day. Despite obtaining approval through an officially recognized on-campus student group, police officials handed a "cease and desist" order to the conservative group.
John Ritchie, spokesman for TFP Student Action, hoped for a supportive environment for the Catholic position on marriage on campus. They believe in the traditional form of marriage.
"Notre Dame police officers told us that we only had proper permission to have a table - but that nobody was allowed to actually man the table, which was the whole point of having a table in the first place. How can a table man itself? So we were forced to leave," John Ritchie, spokesman for TFP Student Action, said in a statement.
Ritchie said that police officers arrived soon after volunteers started distributing pro-family literature, 10 Reasons Why Same-Sex "Marriage" is Harmful and Must Be Opposed.
It was well received by majority of the Catholic academic institute's campus community. However, several pro-homosexual/leftist students tore up the fliers, yelled obscenities and engaged in other unethical behavior. The opponents also claimed that messages related to religious conservatives did not merit to be endorsed.
The University of Notre Dame Security Police Department said that separate permissions are required to organize a table and manage the table with volunteers.
Dennis Brown, Notre Dame Spokesman, said that the decision to expel Traditional Marriage Group from campus was in accordance with the school's policies and not based on the content of TFP handout.
"Our policies explicitly state that only members of the university community may organize or lead such events on campus," said Brown. "When university officials learned that, contrary to our policies, the student group made this request on behalf of an outside organization, TFP Student Action, we asked that its members leave," Christian Post reports.
"We've done exactly the same thing, including arrests, with outside groups that have attempted to come on campus to make statements that run the gamut of the ideological and political spectrum," Town Hall reports.
The TFP group also violated the University's video and photography policy by recording videos and taking photos without permission.
Ritchie said that it would be futile to protest and complain about the school's unprofessional behavior.
"Political correctness seems to trump the truth at most universities today, sadly even at Notre Dame," said Ritchie. "It seems like the more you hear about inclusion and diversity in higher education, the less you hear about the truth, the more the truth is shut out of the conversation."
