Campus deplatformings hit record high
FIRE has documented more than 200 attempts to deplatform campus speakers in 2026 alone, with pressure coming from across the political spectrum and raising serious concerns about freedom of expression and government interference in academic life
Campus deplatforming attempts have reached a disturbing new milestone. For the first time since FIRE began tracking these incidents, more than 200 attempts to prevent invited speakers from appearing on campus have been recorded in a single year — and 2026 still has nearly three months to go. The previous record, set just last year, has already been shattered. And the problem isn’t confined to one side of the political spectrum.
The attempts are being initiated by actors across the political spectrum — with attempts from the right of the expression exceeding attempts from the left both last year (116 to 64) and this year (96 to 74).
Recent incidents include:
