The University of Memphis is facing national outrage from conservatives over allegations they colluded with radical activist groups to sabotage a campus speech by Kyle Rittenhouse.
Some are calling for a state investigation of university administrators accused of strong-arming Turning Point USA student leaders. Others are demanding that the university face legal action.
University official stood down and allowed students to disrupt Rittenhouse’s remarks during an event sponsored by the campus Turning Point USA chapter. Watch exclusive video of what happened below:
JUST IN: Radical activists disrupt Rittenhouse speech. They claim to believe Blacks Lives Matter – but they have not uttered one word of protest about the black-on-black crime that has turned #Memphis into a war zone. pic.twitter.com/MkgN9nPi8Q
— KWAM News Radio 990 AM Memphis (@Mighty990KWAM) March 21, 2024
“This is what happens when school administrators pander to petulant children,” said TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk. “You get chaos.”
“Our brave students will press forward but this is unacceptable, especially in a Tennessee. Memphis had record homicides last year, but apparently our students and Kyle Rittenhouse are the problem for the University of Memphis,” he said.
Kirk also accused the university of sabotaging the event. Just hours before, the university rescinded thousands of tickets. TPUSA says that decision resulted in hundreds of people being denied access to the speech.
“Most shockingly, we have gathered credible information that school administrators have leaked the new ticketing information to protester groups so they can reserve large numbers of newly issued tickets and sabotage the event,” Turning Point said in a statement. “We know this because some of our students are in the protester group chats. There is no way these groups could have known the new ticketing timing and protocol without school administrators leaking that information. This has never happened before at a TPUSA campus event.”
Kirk outlined his grievances against the University of Memphis in a social media post:
The school has gone to incredible lengths to hamstring this event, including:
1 – Forcing us to change our ticketing system the day of the event. The university’s excuse is they want to ensure “fair and equitable” ticketing. This means the hundreds of students who thought they had tickets will not get in. This has never happened at one of our events.
2 – Protester groups were somehow tipped off about the school’s new ticketing system and the timing of when they’d be made available, allowing them to reserve large numbers of tickets to stage a walk out. We know this because our students are also in those group chats and alerted us. This also has never happened before.
3 – We had thousands of people register for tickets to this event, but the school would only give us a venue with 330 seat. No overflow. No larger venue.
4 – Our chapter president has been doxxed with his number and address published on social media. The campus police and school administrator shrugged their shoulders.
5 – The administration has said they cannot step in or ask protesters to leave if they attempt to disrupt the event or shout down Kyle.
6 – The school has allowed into the event the student that doxxed our chapter president, knowing this person was responsible for the doxxing.
7 – The protestors have entered the event and are taping the names of the people involved in Kyle Rittenhouse’s legal defense. The school is not stopping them.