ANTIFA Rioters Hunted Me Down for Reporting on Violent Protests
Last Tuesday, TPUSA Founder and CEO Charlie Kirk held a speech at UC Davis and ANTIFA rioters were out in full force to protest the event. They were breaking windows, harassing students, and shouting down anyone recording their actions in the name of “anti-fascism.” My reporting on their illegal activities ended up with me being hunted by ANTIFA for the act of expressing my constitutional right to report on public events.
As a reporter for TPUSA, I was on the ground to document the events of the night. Days leading up to the event, the Sacramento Bee spread a slanderous lie that Kirk previously called for the “lynching” of people within the transgender community. The outlet has since retracted its statement and issued an apology.
However, the damage had been done, and the mob was fully convinced that Kirk was a “fascist” and began gathering on the UC Davis campus two hours before the event was scheduled to begin. It was immediately clear that they were not there to protest peacefully. Within the first hour, they had already blocked off a bike lane, causing a back-up of students trying to get through. The group also pepper-sprayed a man who pushed back against their make-shift blockade and prevented people who were trying to gain access to the event.
As the night went on their actions became increasingly more violent. The mob descended on a line of attendees waiting to get inside the building and began physically pushing them. Multiple entrances were blocked off by protestors, and some extremists resorted to breaking all of the windows at one of the entrances.
They were closely monitoring anyone who was filming, shutting down the press, and even students who were just curious. Because I was undercover, I was able to get content directly from the source for a few hours without ANTIFA recognizing me.
After a few hours, however, some members of the violent mob began to recognize me. I had stepped away briefly to share the video of ANTIFA breaking through windows when I was confronted by a colleague who recommended I leave as soon as possible. He informed me that ANTIFA had surrounded him, demanding to look through his phone and even threatening him with violence for associating with me.
At this point, he left to avoid a second attack and told me to go to the police. I immediately went to the officers protecting the event and explained the situation, showed them my press badge, and asked for help. They turned me away stating that if I felt I was in danger, I could simply leave the campus. The large mob was still encircling the entire area.
Luckily, I got in contact with a fellow TPUSA employee inside, and I was able to get into the building unharmed. This was a close call, as each encounter with ANTIFA rioters could potentially be dangerous, and safety precautions should always be taken.
Back in 2020, I was reporting alone on an ANTIFA faction in Austin, TX. This was during the height of the George Floyd and BLM riots and my footage had garnered national attention for revealing the truth about the “fiery by mostly peaceful” protests. ANTIFA recognized me after a long night of reporting and a mob of them surrounded me, punching me and then pushing me to the ground. One member can be heard screaming, “F*ck her up!”
I’m not the first journalist this has happened to. Andy Ngo, one of the most outspoken voices against ANTIFA, suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage for his reporting on the violent extremist group. He eventually had to move out of Portland because of the increasing severity of threats on his life.
These are just a few examples of the violence that ANTIFA has been allowed to perpetuate on law-abiding citizens. They continue to impede our constitutional rights and shut down anyone who has a differing opinion.
No, Kirk is not a fascist, and I am not a “white supremacist.” Both myself, Kirk, and many others have been targeted, attacked, shouted down, and slandered by the group fronting as “anti-fascist.”
