WATCH: Protester Jumps on Stage at LSU to Disrupt Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens’ TPUSA Speech
Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens were speaking at a Louisiana State University event on Wednesday when a protester jumped on stage and proceeded to shout obscenities, while another protester in the audience shouted “death to white nationalism” at the two conservative pundits, one of whom is black.
Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder and Executive Director Charlie Kirk and Communication Director Candace Owens were delivering their remarks in an auditorium on Wednesday night at LSU when a protester jumped on stage and disrupted the event.
The protester, who stood on the opposite end of the stage from Kirk and Owens, began to shout obscenities with her hands raised in the air, until she was eventually escorted off the stage by campus police officers. The incident was captured on video.
“We would like to have a conversation with you,” said Owens several times to the protester.
“You are racist,” shouted the protester.
Moments later, the protester was escorted off the stage by campus police, at which point a second protester — who students say is a member of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) group at LSU — can be heard chanting “death to white nationalism.”
Mississippi College TPUSA chapter president Evan Sanders, who captured the video from the audience, told Breitbart News that Kirk had been speaking about American exceptionalism moments before the protester jumped onto the stage.
“Shortly after this, the woman approached the stage, got on and said, ‘Are you fucking kidding me? Organizing Candace Owens and Charlie Kirk on this campus, saying that racism does not exist?’ Which is not something that Charlie or Candace said,” added Sanders.
“Candace then offered the woman an opportunity to have a discussion, but she continued to be combative,” continued Sanders, “Then, the protester went on to talk about how black and brown people aren’t able to live a life with white people.”
When campus police approached the protester, she shouted, “I do not consent to being touched,” before the officers forced her arms down and walked her out of the auditorium. “You’re fucking racist,” added the protester.
“Today, the LSU chapter of Turning Point USA brought Candace Owens and Charlie Kirk to speak on campus,” said SJP at LSU in a Facebook post on Wednesday, “This organization is extremely problematic and is notorious for attempting to attack the BDS campaign.”
The acronym “BDS” is in reference to the anti-Israel propaganda known as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign.
“This event provided an UNSAFE environment for the people of color and other marginalized groups on campus,” continued SJP. The group then attempted to conflate the New Zealand terror attack with the conservative student group, seeming to play directly into the hands of the terrorist, by further spreading the propaganda he had desired to see perpetuated across the globe.
“If your speech endangers a people, you should not be provided a platform to share it,” added SJP, “ESPECIALLY at a public university.”
“I have no issue with civil discourse or a people disagreeing,” said Sanders to Breitbart News, “I think it’s healthy to create an environment where people are allowed to have a discussion, ask questions, and become more educated about their stances.”
“Candace and Charlie offered to have a discussion with the protester, but she continued to be disruptive, ignoring directives of the police officers,” added Sanders, “What blew my mind even further is when I saw a Facebook post from the SJP group at LSU saying, ‘If your speech endangers people, you shouldn’t be provided a platform to share it.'”
“The amount of misinformation these students are taught about the importance of the First Amendment is dangerous,” said Sanders.
LSU TPUSA chapter president Cassidy Riley told Breitbart News that one of the goals of her student group is to engage in civil discourse on campus.
“We welcome people from all political beliefs,” said Riley to Breitbart News, “I am disappointed that the actions and words of these protesters only sought to silence the ideas of their fellow students. Their disruptive behavior and profanity only proved their own intolerance and the intolerance of the left.”
Kirk and Owens had been at LSU for their 2019 spring semester “Campus Clash” speaking tour. You can visit TPUSA’s event page for more information about upcoming campus events.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo and on Instagram.
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