The NYPD was out in full-force at NYU on Thursday night as protesters gathered to voice their disgust with conservative actor and Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, who was inside holding a seminar for the school’s College Republicans.
Arrests happening outside of Kimmel. pic.twitter.com/57vSCYp86l
— NYU Local (@NYULocal) February 3, 2017
“Just saw 4 vans of cops unload outside of the NYU Anti-Fa protest of Gavin McInnes’ talk,” Jason Miller tweeted at around 7 p.m. Thursday.
“They are threatening to arrest everyone in the herd now, each cop with roughly 8-10 zip ties in tow,” he said.
NYU Local, the university’s independent news source, also took to Twitter to alert the public of the situation taking place outside the Kimmel, Rosenthal Pavilion on Thursday night.
“Arrests happening outside of Kimmel,” they tweeted.
As of 9 p.m., it was still unclear how many people were taken into custody.
McInnes had been scheduled to talk to the NYU College Republicans at 7 p.m., and was later spotted on Periscope live video speaking at the podium and shouting at protesters, who managed to make it inside the venue.
“Who’s campus, our campus!” demonstrators yelled, as McInnes attempted to speak.
“Shame! Shame! Shame!” the crowd added.
“Why are you repeating the same nonsense over and over?” McInnes asked at one point, before riling up the protesters even more.
“People say I’m a Nazi, but I’m not a Nazi,” he explained, according to students who spoke to The Post. “I cant be, because the Holocaust isn’t real.”
After a few more minutes of back-and-forth, the controversial comedian appears to end his speech early — telling an NYU spokesperson, “You’re a dumb liberal asshole” and “You think these are rational beings” — before storming away, NYU Local reports.
“Gavin has left the podium, doesn’t intend to come back,” the news source tweeted. “Leaves with aforementioned scathing remark to University spokesman.”
McInnes almost didn’t even make it inside on Thursday night, on account of the “antifa” protesters rushing him at the entrance, according to Gizomodo reporter Anna Merlan.
“Cops shoved them back, took a guy to the ground,” she tweeted. “Guy in a MAGA hat threw a punch.”
As McInnes entered, the unruly crowd chanted things like, “Nazi scum your time has come,” while also lighting “Make America Great Again” hats on fire.
“Looked like someone might’ve been trying to spray something at McInnes? Hopefully Nair,” Merlan tweeted, adding that at least one pro-Trump spectator was also busted.
“Cops arresting a MAGA fan who just assaulted a reporter. NYPD didn’t seem to see but the rest of us did,” she said.
The protest was apparently organized on Facebook, under the name “Disrupt Gavin McInnes at NYU.”
“Come to Kimmel, Rosenthal Pavilion to let NYU know that we will not stand for bigotry, racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny on our campus,” the event page reads. “Gavin McInnes has a long track record of using incendiary language to attract media attention and frenzy…Most recently, in December 2016, Gavin McInnes launched an informal group called the Proud Boys, an “anti racial guilt,” anti-feminist organization. When NYC Antifa began to share information about members of the group with their employers (in many cases leading to job loss), McInnes urged the Proud Boys to attend an Antifa concert and ‘wreck the s–t’ of the ‘f–gots.’”
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