Fire alarm, protests disrupt ex-pharma exec Shkreli’s talk
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pharmaceutical chief Martin Shkreli smiles on Capitol Hill in Washington during the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Committee hearing in February 2016 on his former company’s decision to raise the price of a lifesaving medicine.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. >> A fire alarm rang out moments before indicted former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli was to speak at Harvard University, briefly delaying an appearance that also was disrupted by student protests.
The former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, who was widely criticized for hiking up the price of a drug used by AIDS and cancer patients to fight parasitic infections, was invited by the Harvard Financial Analysts Club to discuss investing at tonight’s event. But a few minutes before it began, someone pulled a fire alarm and police evacuated the building.
When the event did start, protesters kept interrupting Shkreli’s presentation, chanting and calling him names before walking out. There were no reports of any violence.
One student group said the appearance “promotes and glorifies murderous financial practices.” It organized a rally and an alternate “teach-in” to discuss pharmaceutical price-gouging while Shkreli’s event was taking place.
The Boston Globe reported that most of Shkreli’s presentation focused on his experience in hedge fund management and health care. Toward the end of his discussion, he said he had a solution for the high price of prescription drugs.
“Trump should start a drug company,” he said. “I would be proud to help implement this.”
The 33-year-old New York resident is free on $5 million bail pending his federal securities fraud trial in an unrelated case. He has pleaded not guilty. A judge earlier this month approved his request to travel to Massachusetts.
In January, a joint appearance by Shkreli and far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos at the University of California, Davis was canceled after heated protests erupted.
Shkreli is scheduled to speak at UMass-Boston Thursday.
3 responses to “Fire alarm, protests disrupt ex-pharma exec Shkreli’s talk”
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It’s a waste of time trying to speak at a college campus unless you belong to the far left. I personally don’t like this guy for his dirty deeds as a person, but still, college campuses have become the breeding grounds of the far left hindering anybody’s free speech that they don’t agree with. The “left” are a complete bunch of hypocrites.
IRT latenightroach: Then on the other hand, back in the day at UHM, I was approached by a gentleman asking me to sign his petition to allow Angela Davis “her constitutional right” to give a speech/presentation on campus. I politely told him that I was exercising MY constitutional right NOT to sign his petition. It cuts both ways, right or left. But I heartily agree with your distaste for Shkreli and his “dirty deeds”. The man is a Trump Jr. in the making.
Why does a institution of higher learning want to someone who is morally corrupt speak on their campus? There are better people who are better examples of what a good human being is like and are successful.