 Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro spoke to an audience of 1,500 at Boston University tonight. The event was protested by around 200 students who gathered outside with signs after an unsuccessful petition to ban Shapiro from campus. The university, and we've known this for a while since they ignored our petition and everything, the university doesn't really care what students think. Shapiro commented sarcastically on students' efforts. Thanks to Boston University for ensuring that this event could happen, despite a change.org petition that people signed and it was very intimidating. Among Shapiro's many supporters was a group against him, which intentionally interrupted the lecture by leaving after just five minutes. He stopped talking, which was a bit strange. The audience, you know, did their bit, they booed and America first. We chanted and we left in a pretty orderly manner, so I think the police understood that we weren't trying to cause sustained disruption. The title for Shapiro's like job was, quote, America wasn't built on slavery, it was built on freedom, end quote. Many students expressed their opposition to it. I was like, thanks also to really, I'm serious about this, to the protesters who showed up outside demonstrating again that the lecture that I'm giving is almost pointless because if America had been built on slavery, not freedom, you wouldn't have literally hundreds of protesters outside exercising that first amendment freedom. The BU chapter of activism organization Young Americans for Freedom hosted his appearance to promote conservative values on campus. I think Shapiro's arrival on campus is hopefully the beginning steps of allowing for more discourse, more very discourse on Boston University's campus. And I can't wait to see how it affects our campus after the fact. Attendees are leaving the event behind me. The majority of protesters have already left. Ben Shapiro will be speaking next at Baylor University on November 21st. Reporting from the BU Tracker Tennis Center, for BU News Service, I'm Chloe Hudson.