Reported Antifa members stormed a pro-life meeting at Virginia Commonwealth University, shouting at pro-lifers and ultimately resulting in two arrests and the event getting shut down.
“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,” Students for Life posted in a caption on an Instagram video showing the incident, which was provided to Fox News Digital.
Students for Life at VCU, an affiliate of the national pro-life organization, was set up to hold a meeting on Wednesday evening featuring discussion from the group’s president Kristan Hawkins and TPUSA contributor Isabel Brown.
But the event soon became unruly and devolved into protesters chanting, “Fascists go home” and “F— pro-life,” while holding signs in support of abortion.
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Protesters at Virginia Commonwealth University (Students for Life)
The pro-life group is taking issue with how school police handled the matter, and asked on the group’s Instagram post: “When will law enforcement begin to take threats against pro-lifers seriously?”
“At first, we were taken from the room by campus and city police, and it seemed like it was for our protection, but as it went on, we realized that we were being detained and the protesters were free to go,” Hawkins told Fox News Digital of how the disruption played out.
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At least 12 pro-lifers were detained for more than two hours, according to Students for Life, with Hawkings adding, “Police did not walk us to our cars, and we had to walk through some of the protesters to leave.”
Kristan Hawkins and Isabel Brown during Students for Life meeting that devolved into chaos after protesters stormed in. (Students for Life)
“The student leader’s mother called us to say that they were being harassed outside and for us to go another direction to get out,” Hawkins continued.
The disruption did lead to the arrest of two individuals, identified as Natalie Hoskins III, 22, and Anthony Marvin, 30, a VCU spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Thursday. Hoskins was charged with simple assault and Marvin charged with disorderly conduct, according to WRIC. Neither suspect is affiliated with the school.
VCU protesters during pro-life event (Students for Life)
“Two people were arrested Wednesday evening after there was some disruption at an event in VCU’s University Student Commons. The student organization ‘Students for Life at VCU’ invited a pro-life speaker to its meeting, which was open to the public and attracted about 70 people. The meeting was disrupted by the unruly conduct of some attendees, and VCU Police were called at about 5:40 p.m.,” the spokesperson for the school added.
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Students for Life leaders say they identified the disrupters as Antifa members based on their signs and clothing. (Students for Life)
Students for Life leaders say they identified the disrupters as Antifa members based on their signs and clothing. The group’s spokeswoman Kristi Hamrick additionally pointed to social media posts advertising a counter-protest from members of the Young Democratic Socialists of America ahead of the pro-life meeting, which was shared by a Twitter user who goes by the name Goad Gatsby.
Goad Gatsby, whose real name is Kristopher Goad, is listed as having Antifa ties on watchdog group AntifaWatch’s website. Goad told Fox News Digital that he was not promoting the event or the protest, and instead was there to cover the matter as a journalist.
“I am a local journalist in Richmond who covers protests and government meetings. I was not promoting the event or a protest but instead reporting on it as accurate to my abilities. It was the security for Students For Life who assaulted protesters who were engaged in First Amendment speech at a public event,” Goad said.
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Students for Life is calling on VCU to invite Hawkins and Brown back to campus and to ensure the safety of attendees at the meeting, but so far that call has gone unanswered, according to the group.
