How Texas State University Punished a Student for Protesting White Supremacy

Last fall, on September 16, 2025, Devion Canty was forced to withdraw from Texas State University, just two weeks into his first semester in college. Canty had attended a protest at a campus “memorial” for Charlie Kirk, head of the white supremacist group Turning Point USA, who had been assassinated days earlier (Kirk was shot in the neck by a sniper while giving a public talk). Someone caught Canty on video falling to the ground as if shot in the neck, in a theatrical imitation of Kirk’s assassination. Texas Governor Greg Abbott shared the video on social media in the late morning of that day, urging Texas State University to “expel the individual immediately.”

Within hours, Texas State University coerced Canty into withdrawing. As a result, he lost his federal grants. He also had to abruptly leave his life at Texas State behind – all while facing death threats and relentless racist harassment. Determined to continue his education, Canty will be restarting college this fall at Johnson C. Smith University, a historically Black college in North Carolina, and is currently fundraising to pay the costs of housing.

Canty’s case shows yet again how universities cave under political pressure from right-wing forces. But it also demonstrates how universities increasingly deny access to anyone but the wealthy. That happens through increased tuition, gentrification and unaffordable housing, and rules that make it harder to get loans and later get out of student debt. This denial is a tool of political control – a way to prevent radical struggles from forming on campus. In a time of engineered scarcity, mutual aid is crucial to supporting those abused by this system.

Forced Out for Protesting White Supremacy

Universities have a reputation for being slow, but under pressure from fascist politicians they can be quite efficient. As the University Star reported, Texas Governor Abbott posted the video on social media at 11:17 am, on September 16, 2025, calling to expel the Texas State University (TXST) student. By 12:30 pm, TXST President Kelly Damphousse – a former prison guard whose academic research area is counterinsurgency – issued a statement saying the University is working on identifying the student in the video. At 5:12 pm, he announced that “the individual [Canty] is no longer a student at TXST.” In a university-wide email sent out that day, Damphousse condemned Canty’s behavior, and even claimed that the notion that many students........

© CounterPunch