A University of Missouri-Kansas City student went to a Young Americans for Freedom event on campus Thursday night to make a statement about conservative speaker Michael Knowles.
But the person left injured and in handcuffs after botching an attempt to douse Knowles with an “unknown odorous liquid” in a spectacle captured on cell phone video for all to see.
A student tried to squirt bleach on me during my speech tonight. Lucky for me we was a left-winger and couldn’t even shoot a squirt gun! pic.twitter.com/VHKS4hD4vW
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) April 12, 2019
“A student tried to squirt bleach on me during my speech tonight. Lucky for me he was a left-winger and couldn’t even shoot a squirt gun!” Knowles posted to Twitter with an image of the white liquid. “He got me a bit in the face and on the side. At first I thought it was paint because of the color and smell. Later found out it was bleach. These are the people conservatives on campus are up against.”
“UPDATE: authorities now telling me it was not bleach – unknown odorous liquid, appears the attacker was a hoaxer who was fine getting charged with assault but wanted to avoid a felony,” he wrote.
A UMKC spokesperson told KCTV police tased the attacker, who resisted arrest, and used pepper spray on several other students to get things under control. The names of those involved have not been released.
The whole video if anyone’s interested. I find it baffaling that people were ready to jump on this and say it didn’t happen. pic.twitter.com/yh6tZYAyAw
— Collin Tuso (@collin_tuso) April 12, 2019
Collin Tuso posted video.
“The whole video if anyone’s interested,” he tweeted. “I find it baffaling (sic) that people were ready to jump on this and say it didn’t happen.”
The footage shows a black woman who appeared to be arguing with Knowles as students streamed pout of the venue, some yelling “so much hate” and flipping Knowles the bird on the way out. In the midst of the argument with the woman, a person dressed in all black with a purple head cover and sunglasses darted past several police on scene and attempted to shoot Knowles with a large squirt gun.
One police officer immediately tackled the person to the ground, and another quickly joined to help force the attacker’s hands behind their back. As if on que, several student protestors broke into a chant: “Hands up! Don’t shoot! Hands up! Don’t shoot!”
🎥THE PODCAST IS UP! Michael Knowles ATTACKED on stage while speaking at U of Mizzou https://t.co/qLHHHyTnNR
— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) April 12, 2019
Protestors descended on the 8 p.m. “Night with Michael Knowles” with signs reading “Trans rights are human rights,” Respect my existence,” and “Trans men are men,” to protest the guest lecture at Stack Auditorium, which was billed as a discussion on why “men are not women.”
Knowles, a Daily Wire columnist, appears frequently on Fox & Friends, EWTN News Nightly and other political shows and regularly lectures about conservative issues at schools and institutes across the country.
While some protestors at the UMKC event picketed outside, others marched the stairs in the auditorium yelling and shouting to disrupt the speech, KCTV reports.
Police were attempting to quell the disturbances and ushering some folks out of the venue around 8:15 p.m. when the melee broke out.
We have a responsibility to allow free speech, but we cannot condone physical disruptions of peaceful activities. We believe free speech can be exercised constructively in a way that doesn’t put people at risk. We are gathering facts and will review campus policies & procedures.
— UMKC (@UMKansasCity) April 12, 2019
UMKC’s response:
We have a responsibility to allow free speech, but we cannot condone physical disruptions of peaceful activities. We believe free speech can be exercised constructively in a way that doesn’t put people at risk. We are gathering the facts and will review campus policies & procedures.
Leave a Comment
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.