ATLANTA — University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue says free speech will be protected on the state’s 26 public college and university campuses, emphasizing the system’s responsibility to uphold First Amendment rights even during tense political times.

Perdue said he believes deeply in the power of free expression and sees it as central to education. “A part of our responsibility at the University System of Georgia is to help young people understand that not everybody is going to agree with them, not everybody is going to think like how they think,” Perdue said. “But how they converse, how they communicate is a civil discourse, respectfully, and help persuade or be persuaded by the other’s opinion. That’s the essence of education.”

He added that designated areas on campuses remain open to anyone who wishes to speak, as long as it is done peacefully and without disrupting others. “We’ve got certain areas on campuses where anyone who believes anything in that regard, as long as they’re civil and safe and not harming other people, have the right to speak up,” Perdue said.

Perdue also noted that faculty, staff, and students must feel free to share their views without being unlawfully silenced. “Educators have a responsibility to ensure that students, faculty, and staff can speak freely and respectfully, without fear of being unlawfully disrupted,” he said.

His comments come as leaders across the nation continue to respond to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock said while he often disagreed with Kirk’s politics, violence is never acceptable. “You cannot have a democracy awash in political violence; and so I hope and I pray that this will be a moment of reflection for all Americans,” Warnock told WSB.

Officials said Kirk’s body has been returned to Arizona aboard Air Force Two, where he lived with his wife and two children.

WSB’s Ashley Simmons contributed to this story