Because Horowitz has been criticized for his controversial statements, two policemen were on-site at the event in case of protest, although most of the crowd was not acting out against Horowitz.

“What Barack Obama has done has weakened America,” Horowitz said to the crowd. “Nobody fears us except our allies.”

Nick Kowalski, founder and chairman of the MSU Campus Conservatives and political theory and constitutional democracy senior, said he and fellow Campus Conservatives reached out to the David Horowitz Freedom Center because of freedom of speech issues at MSU.

Horowitz gained attention more than five years ago when he began promoting his Academic Bill of Rights, a campaign for universities to return to what he believed to be traditional values in education to eliminate political bias in the hiring of professors and student grading. He released a book, “The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America,” denouncing individual professors for what he said was indoctrinating students with a democratic, leftist agenda.

“Because of the lack of intellectual diversity among professors and faculty at Michigan State University, it is our duty to provide educational opportunities,” Kowalski said. “If Spartans are not being exposed to the other side while in class, (Campus Conservatives) shall fill the unfortunate void.”

During a question-and-answer session of the presentation, Horowitz was asked whether he believed Obama secretly belonged to the Muslim faith, and said he wouldn’t be surprised if Obama belonged to the Muslim faith because he is an avid anti-American.

Things became heated when journalism professor Bonnie Bucqueroux asked Horowitz a question, and when Horowitz discovered she was videotaping his answer, Horowitz grabbed her camera and asked police to confiscate her camera’s memory disk.

Bucqueroux refused and left in anger and shock.

“This is a man who encourages his students to videotape professors to expose their liberal lessons,” Bucqueroux said. “I’m horrified by what he did. … I’m shaking. When he grabbed my camera, I consider that assault.”

Although international relations and political theory and constitutional democracy junior Erica Zentner said she is not affiliated with any political groups on campus, she still was interested in hearing Horowitz’s opinion on conflict in the Middle East.

However, upon the speech’s conclusion, Zentner was not pleased with what she heard.

“I’m halfway between disgusted that I came here and highly amused,” she said. “It was … interesting and slightly enlightening.”