Orlando Antifa, an anti-fascist group who are self-proclaimed fighters of racism and oppression, and the Orlando Workers League are holding a counter protest to “protect” University of Central Florida students from Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
The groups plans to protest Kirk’s scheduled speaking event at The University of Central Florida on April 10, which is apart of Kirk’s ‘Hard Truths’ tour that aims to “expose leftist lies and progressive propaganda,” according to the OWL’s event Facebook page titled “Oh Hell No: Oppose Charlie Kirk At UCF.”
In the event description, OWL and Orlando Antifa are calling for “lovers of liberty and equality” to counter-protest at Kirk’s event, and to contact UCF to demand Kirk’s speech be revoked.
“Call UCF and demand that Charlie Kirk’s speech be revoked,” they wrote. “His presence on our campus endangers the lives of UCF students.”
The group goes on to, cite violence at one of Kirk’s speaking events at Colorado State University, where a group donning riot shields, skull face masks, and shouting nazi slogans attacked a group of counter-protestors. This was also stated by Antifa on their Twitter page.
“Where TPUSA and Charlie Kirk go, violence follows,” they wrote. “Charlie Kirk is simply the latest manifestation of the fascist current in the US.”
In another tweet later that day,by Orland Antifa, the group vowed to “protect” UCF students from fascists and their sympathizers.
“If/when @UCF fails to protect its students, we will be there to defend each other from fascists & their sympathizers. No pasaran!”
Cristina Del Rosso, President of the Turning Point USA UCF chapter gave Knight News a statement regarding the comments made by Orlando Antifa.
“Turning Point USA supports the First Amendment right to free speech and assembly as provided for in the United States Constitution. We do not support the use of violence to shut down free speech events, as it is counterproductive to democracy and the freedom of expression. TPUSA UCF is working with UCF officials to ensure the safety of students and attendees.”
Orlando Antifa did not respond to our request for comment.
Kirk founded Turning Point USA, a nonprofit political-advocacy group, as an on-campus organization that aims to teach free market values to students on college campuses, according to the Turning Point website.
Kirk touts conservative viewpoints and has been interviewed on Fox News, CNBC, and Fox Business News over 200 times, according to his event’s facebook page.