EAST LANSING — Renowned conservative commentator Candice Owens attacked “trans-agenda,” “climate warnings,” and higher education during a speech Thursday night on the Michigan State University campus, killing hundreds. Audiences and student protesters gathered.
Owens spoke as part of a live free tour of Turning Point USA, a series of events focused on bringing conservative figures to college campuses.
The free event filled a large auditorium in the business college complex. Hundreds of spectators lined up in the hours before the event started, and some were kicked out when the hall was full.
Owens had supporters, including some students, but protests from MSU community members began paralleling the event. was quickly drowned out by those present. Protesters were cleared by police after about two minutes of chanting.
Jesse Estrada White, an MSU sophomore who led several chants, said students showed up to send messages.
“This campus is for everyone, but not for fascists,” he said. “We welcome all people who are not preaching hate on our campus. We say, “Come to the Speaker,” but if others say it is unacceptable to exist as it is, then you cannot come here. That’s our message. ”
But Mia Dimaria, an MSU sophomore who attended the event, said she was moved by some of Owens’ speeches.
“I love how she emphasizes the importance of family because of family and faith,” she said. not doing so, and due to lack of faith.”
Di Maria said she comes from a conservative family and was happy to see Owens representing non-liberal views on campus.
Tensions were high in the MSU community heading into Thursday’s event. Four years ago, white supremacist Richard Spencer addressed the MSU campus, rallying supporters from the far right and protesters with signs condemning Nazism and racism.
During his speech, Owens focused on gender, college education and climate change, but also touched on rapper Kanye West’s recent anti-Semitic comments.
Owens called the “trans agenda” an “attack on the family,” and transgender children should be separated from their parents.
“What better way to prevent someone from growing up and having a productive family than by encouraging them to take puberty blockers that radically change their biological makeup?” Owens said. “It’s not about love. No, it’s about hate.”
She said the university was “like a fifth agency in government” and encouraged students to pursue trade skills rather than degrees.
“The whole purpose of creating the Department of Education is to create a lot of minds that agree with everything the government says, and get the media to provide the propaganda,” Owens said.
She also compared “climate warnings” to the infamous Y2K scare and said that environmentalism is a “cult of death.”
Owens’ comments and stance towards transgender people were the main focus of protesters outside the event. I chanted to drown out the speech of
Waving dozens of hand-made signs and transgender and LGBTQ+ pride flags, protesters rallied “Fascist **** must go away”, “**** Candace, **** you”, “Trans protect the children of
Estrada White said that while the protesters failed to achieve their goal of disrupting the event from the outside, “we can show this community that there are people willing to stand up to her stubborn self.” I made it.
“We told her she was not welcome. Here at the turning point, we told her that their fascism was not welcome on campus,” he added.
Owens made separate comments about gender and family throughout the speech.
“I really believe that the longer you stay in school, the more your brain is poisoned,” she said. So much so that I have to go to school.”
Owens said men “get their hands slapped every time they act like men.” They come up with these fruity terms like toxic masculinity created by toxic feminists.
“And what they are doing is destroying the family, destroying traditional roles, destroying the family unit, destroying the nuclear family. Let me say this: No society can survive without strong men,” she said.
Protester Natalie Harmon, a junior at MSU, linked Owens’ rhetoric to real-world results.
“We put this together because Candace Owens is literally a liar,” she said. , regarding COVID vaccines, she was homophobic and many of her comments led to violence. We do not welcome anyone who seeks to incite
One of the shooters who killed 51 people in the 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shooting said in his manifesto: Each time she spoke, I was struck by her insight, and her own views served to drive me more and more toward a belief in violence rather than meekness. I guess I have to, but the extreme behavior she demands of me doesn’t even suit my taste.
Owens didn’t mention immigration or Islam at Thursday’s event.
Owens finished his main speech around 8:00 p.m. and held a question and answer session until about 9:00 p.m. As police observed, about 150 students continued to chant “**** fascist” and finally dispersed around 9:30 pm.
Owens has recently stepped into the limelight with his relationship with rapper and fashion designer Kanye West, who has garnered conservative acclaim in recent weeks.
West and Owens, both black, showed up at West’s Paris fashion show wearing “White Lives Matter” shirts. defended the message of
A few days after the appearance, West said on Oct. 8, after his Instagram account was restricted following a post implying that another rapper was being controlled by a Jew who runs his record label. He tweeted that he was going to Descon 3 against the Jews.
Owens defended West’s remarks on her online show, stating, “If you’re an honest person, you wouldn’t have thought this tweet was anti-Semitic.”
“It’s like you can’t even say the word ‘Jew’ without upsetting people,” she said. Owens hinted that West was simply referring to Jews in his personal life, not the community as a whole.
Owens appeared at Thursday’s event wearing a sweatshirt from West’s apparel line, Gap.
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