> A literal interpretation of the word "liberal college" reflects the reality that many places are liberal bubbles of thought, where there won't be a safe space for researchers to pick apart and look closely at conservative views of a subject

Isn't that the opposite of what he is complaining about? He criticised illiberalism and picked apart a subject in an unorthodox way, which resulted in his critics harassing him. There were not any liberal bubbles/safe spaces that could protect him from the harassers.