Tuesday, police officers at Penn State University arrested two people seen in social media videos violating free speech and getting violent during Riley Gaines’ visit.
The College Fix shared a video to X showing two people approaching the table where Gaines was believed to be during the Real Women’s Day rally. Someone is seen deliberately knocking things off a table.
Another individual is shown yelling in someone’s face, referring to the sign he holds as evidence that he is “transphobic.” The individual then overturns the table.
A cop seems to approach the pair in an attempt to take one into custody, prompting the suspect to bellow, “Don’t f—ing touch me like that.”
The person keeps cursing at the police officer and expressing their anger. At one point, they call the female officer “a bitch.” In some circles, that term is considered sexist.
The second individual asks the officer if they are being detained, and the officer answers in the affirmative.
Two persons are seen in handcuffs next to a police car in the video. When a bystander inquires about the reason for the arrest, an officer responds, “Disorderly conduct.”
One can be seen in a video taken before they were arrested, confronting many people and yelling profanities at them.
Dozens of protesters showed up to Gaines’ talk, yelling that trans lives should be prioritized.
In a statement, the institution denies the claim made by Gaines that they canceled her event on Monday.
The former Penn State swimmer posted a video in which Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi defends the university’s right to host speakers who may be deemed controversial owing to their unconventional viewpoints or promotion of harmful beliefs, citing the university’s responsibility to uphold the First Amendment as a public institution of higher education.
Gaines’s “promotion of bigotry” was also brought up by one of Gaines’s professors.
