Pro-abortion protestors attacked a pro-life event at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) featuring Students for Life of America President Kirsten Hawkins and Turning Point USA contributor Isabel Brown.
The university removed the speakers but did not remove the protestors, prompting Brown to say, “Why the violent protesters weren’t removed, but two pro-life women were, still baffles me.”
Hawkins and Brown spoke at the university for an event titled “Lies Pro-Choicers Believe,” until left-leaning students and protestors disrupted the event.
Video footage from the event posted on social media shows protestors causing disruptions by chanting, “f— pro-lifers!”
We came to @VCU, a public university to speak about abortion and we were assaulted. VCU you should be ashamed of yourselves for allowing this and shutting down any freedom of thought or speech at your university. pic.twitter.com/UCp4LpHNmS
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) March 29, 2023
Hawkins argued that the attack resulted from the U.S.’s “glorification” of “harmful ideologies,” and its refusal to prosecute “evil-doers.”
This is what happens when our nation glorifies harmful ideologies, refuses to prosecute evil-doers, and closes down open discussion. Antifa (so basically fascists) tried to silence us with their assaults @VCU. pic.twitter.com/XXsGRlcW6n
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) March 29, 2023
Protestors also chanted, “fascists go home!,” according to a video posted by Students for Life of America. Hawkins reacted by asking the protestors, “Would you like to Google the word ‘fascist’?”
UPDATE: Despite this unfortunate situation, we will not be deterred. The Pro-Life Generation has come to expect these sort of things and we will be back to attempt what we tried to attempt this evening, a productive, peaceful conversation. pic.twitter.com/NRWni6Hhiu
— Students for Life of America (@StudentsforLife) March 30, 2023
“You won’t even let me answer her questions, would you like me to answer the question?” Hawkins told the protestors, to which they replied by screaming in unison, “No!”
Hawkins also told a member of VCU security, “I thought VCU rules were that you can’t disrupt a peaceful gathering, and no one is doing anything.”
She added that police on VCU’s campus shut down the “peaceful assembly” because of the “fascists” and that they’re letting them “get their way.”
“They’re assaulting her!” someone exclaimed in the video, followed by footage of a brawl between protestors and members of security or faculty.
A man could be heard screaming, “hey! Listen up! Calm down! Everybody get the f— out of here!” leading protestors to respond by yelling in unison, “you leave first!”
As protestors yelled, Brown said she was “temporarily removed” from the event room while the protestors were not.
“Why the violent protesters weren’t removed, but two pro-life women were, still baffles me,” she added.
Tonight at @VCU, @KristanHawkins and I were removed by campus police from our @StudentsforLife speaking event after Antifa began throwing punches at pro-life students and screamed “GET OUT NAZI FASCISTS” for about an hour.
Why the violent protesters weren’t removed, but two…
— Isabel Brown (@theisabelb) March 30, 2023
Students for Life of America identified the Antifa protestors by their “signage and attire.” They also cited social media posts by members of the Young Democratic Socialists of America group, directing VCU students to a “counterdemonstration” of the pro-life event.
Tomorrow at VCU will be an event featuring Kristan Hawkins, the President of Students For Life. They are a large anti-abortion group. The YDSA at will hold a counter demonstration against them. pic.twitter.com/77DlWRP5jh
— Goad Gatsby (@GoadGatsby) March 28, 2023
According to a report by Fox News, Goad Gatsby’s name is Kristopher Goad, and he has connections to Antifa. He told Fox News that he was not promoting the event but instead attending it as a journalist.
Two protestors, Natalie Hoskins III, 22, and Anthony Marvin, 30, were arrested for disrupting the pro-life event but had no connection with the university.
