University of California Davis Chancellor Gary May falsely stated in a video that Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk “advocated for violence against transgender individuals.” Following the message, Antifa members militantly protested Charlie Kirk’s event held at UC Davis, smashing windows and blocking attendees.
The false claim of violence derived from a conversation Kirk had with female swimmer Riley Gaines, who has been outspoken about her experience competing against biological male Lia Thomas. Kirk told Gaines, “And again, I blame the decline of American men, this never should have been, you know … someone should have just took care of it the way we used to take care of things in the 1950s or 60s …” From that statement, false reports surfaced that Kirk called for lynching.
From The Post Millennial:
Later in the episode, Kirk read out emails from viewers, one of which read, "Charlie, I agree with out. If it was my daughter, I would have been arrested for certain. The fix is very simple, if all the female swimmers boycotted the swim meets, they have no choice but to listen." "Look, you got to have self-control and self-restraint. Obviously, we’ve never advocated for violence on this program, nor is that not the answer, and I encourage everyone to remain peaceful," Kirk said. Another email read, "Charlie, I heard your segment on the trans swimmer. It’s time that we no longer tolerate this and we take matters into our own hands." "Okay, look, I want to be clear. Don’t be stupid. You’ve got to work within the law, which means you have to be peaceful," Kirk responded.
