Antifa and far-left activists have never been shy about utilizing violence and intimidation to get their way, and that includes shutting down events and speakers who pose a threat to their agendas or narratives. One such figure they’ve worked hard to shut down is Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA, and have succeeded in getting a hotel to cancel a TPUSA event after issuing violent and destructive threats.
Moreover, even as Antifa is making venues cower under the threat of violence, the leftist media is attempting to paint conservatives as the violent ones.
According to The Post Millennial, the Holiday Inn Express Eugene Springfield, Oregon, was supposed to host a stop on Charlie Kirk’s “Critical Racism Tour” but canceled the event after it received a number of threats from Antifa.
“After careful consideration, we have made the decision to not allow tonight’s event to proceed at our hotel. We apologize for the short notice, and are making this decision out of an abundance of caution for the safety and security of our staff and guests,” Vice President of Operations Terry Goldman said in an email.
Reports say this is the fifth venue to cancel this appearance by Kirk in Oregon, including two churches, an event center, and two hotels. One hotel notified TPUSA of the cancelation after it received threats:
In a letter sent to TPUSA, Graduate Hotel said that following the organizations advertisements and promotional materials, “the Hotel has received various communications indicating that the Event will cause damage or disruption to the Hotel’s premises, operation, guests, or reputation.
The Post Millennial reported that TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet issued a statement noting the irony of the situation at hand:
“The irony is that as Charlie Kirk trends on Twitter for denouncing political violence, Antifa has been threatening violence against event staff at venues that attempt to host TPUSA’s campus tour stops. 5 different venues have now cancelled as a result of Antifa’s coordinated campaign of violent harassment, including the most recent cancellation on the day of the event in Eugene, Oregon. So while Democrats attempt to criminalize mainstream conservative ideas and personalities who denounce violence, they empower actual violent extremist in their midst by failing to renounce groups like Antifa. The double standard is shameful and it’s tearing the country apart,” said Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet.
Meanwhile, the media is attempting to paint Kirk’s audience as the violent extremists based on a question issued to him on a tour stop last Tuesday by what many are surmising is a bad-faith plant from the left.
‘Pushing election lies, TPUSA audience member asks Charlie Kirk when they can ‘use the guns’ and ‘kill these people,'” reads a Media Matters headline. The far-leftist outlet proceeded to dive into speaking about a man asking Kirk a question about when we as conservatives should begin using guns and retaking the U.S. by violent means.
In the video, Kirk interrupts the man and begins making it clear that we’re nowhere near that point yet and that we need to utilize every means of peaceful resistance we can.
“Now, I’m going to denounce that and I’m going to tell you why,” Kirk began. “Because you’re playing into all their plans and they’re trying to make you do this…They are trying to provoke you and everyone here. They are trying to make you do something that will be violent that will justify a takeover of your freedoms and liberties, the likes of which we have never seen.”
“We are close to having momentum to be able to get this country back on a trajectory using the peaceful means that we have at us,” he continued. “So to answer your question, and I just think it’s, you know, overly blunt, we have to be the ones that do not play into the violent aims and ambitions of the other side. They fear – let me say this very clearly – they fear us holding the line with self-control and discipline, taking over school board meetings. They are the ones that are willing to use federal force against us.”
Kirk proceeded to give examples of what could happen to fight back peacefully in places like Idaho. When the audience member once again asked Kirk where the line for violence was, Kirk reiterated that it comes when every peaceful means have been exhausted but that is nowhere near where we are as of now.
Media Matters tends to write the talking points for the rest of the leftist media, so you can presume that if this story gets any bigger than it is that the media will focus more on this audience member than even Kirk’s response to it. This will happen as TPUSA continuously attempts to search for venues as the left continues to issue threats and shut them down.
Antifa seems to rule Oregon. In Portland, Antifa is capable of doing whatever it wants as police are more or less forced to sit back and watch, and are only able to take action after the rioting and destruction are done.
(READ: Rioters Demolish Portland, Doing $500,000 in Damage as New Bill Forces Police to Stand by and Watch)
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