A protest against the election of Donald Trump at Ohio State University was interrupted last Monday evening when an anti-Trump demonstrator was tackled to the ground while making a speech.
Video shows a man running down a staircase in the campus’ students’ union building before lunging towards the anti-Trump speaker. The suspect, who is a student at the college, was quickly apprehended by police and arrested for alleged assault, according to the university. Demonstrators chanted “shame” as he was led out of the building.
The man who was shoved down the stairs and the organization that organized the event subsequently released a statement saying they would not pursue charges. The statement read, in part, “we have learned that the man, an OSU student, is not a right-wing activist and was himself upset by the Trump election. We have received further information we will not disclose to protect the man’s privacy, but which has made us confident he should not face charges for the action.”
‘Safe place for people and ideas’
Following Donald Trump’s election, university leadership sent students an email that read,”We pride ourselves on being an inclusive, welcoming and ultimately safe place for people and ideas from all corners of our society and all around the world.”
It continued, “We protect First Amendment rights actively, but we do not under any circumstances tolerate intimidation or threats to students, faculty, staff or visitors to our campus.”
Following Monday’s incident the university reiterated its earlier message and said that it was investigating the episode.