Patriotic students at the University of Washington thwarted Antifa protesters from disrupting Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk’s Q&A session on Wednesday.
The students countered the masked, umbrella-carrying Antifa members by challenging them to a push-up contest, The Post Millennial (TPM) reported.
TPM added that the small group of protesters at the event appeared dressed in all black, holding black umbrellas and Palestinian flags. They were largely disregarded as Kirk’s event proceeded, despite their attempts to speak over a megaphone.
Heightened security measures were implemented in response to threats against the event, originating from the Gaza camp protesters on campus.
They had demanded the cancellation of the TPUSA event, alleging that a speech by Kirk would “endanger students.”
TPM reported that tensions quickly escalated, sparking violence outside the event.
A group of Antifa militants assaulted journalist Johnathan Choe and his security guard, and police were swiftly alerted to the incident and initiated an investigation.
Choe was on campus to cover the scheduled protest against Kirk, which was relatively minor. “There goes the neighborhood,” he said following the altercation.
“Massive battle royale at the UW Quad Tuesday afternoon. An Antifa mob and their soy boyfriends tried to corner me and my crew. They always send the skinniest dudes or the most overweight activists in my direction,” he added.
Choe shared footage on X that showed him being followed by Antifa members until they finally became aggressive.
Choe shared marketing from the activists earlier on Tuesday, emphasizing their organization and the coincidental timing of their protest that coincided with Kirk’s event.
TPM reported that university officials had previously revealed that representatives from the anti-Israel encampment had held initial discussions with members of the administration regarding Kirk’s planned event.
Officials stated that the TPUSA event, however, had been scheduled months in advance and was allowed to proceed as originally planned, despite the discussions.
TPM outlet pointed to call-to-action marketing that circulated social media leading up to Kirk’s appearance that featured the Antifa logo.
It urged protesters to attend the event dressed in “black bloc” attire and to “disrupt, reject and oppose White Supremacy, Zionism, and Christian Nationalism,” in an attempt to associate Kirk with these ideologies.
Resist The Mainstream reported in March on another Kirk TPUSA event that was sabotaged at the University of Memphis over Kyle Rittenhouse’s scheduled appearance.
Chants from the mob included “lock his a** up” and “Kyle is a killer,” and demonstrators brazenly tapped the names of individuals involved in Rittenhouse’s self-defense case on the seats.
School officials purportedly failed to intervene to halt these disruptive actions.
The protestors also doxxed the phone number and address of the university’s TPUSA chapter president on social media.
Rittenhouse would eventually issue a “quick update” on X, letting his followers know that he made it back safely following the event.
Kirk wrote on X following the event, “I will be asking TN lawmakers to investigate if the University of Memphis colluded with local protesters to sabotage last night’s TPUSA event with Kyle Rittenhouse. We may also file our own lawsuit on viewpoint discrimination. Stay tuned.”
