Lucas Cuni-Mertz & Chelsea Engstrom

One person was injured and arrested following a protest at an event hosted by Young Americans for Freedom Thursday night.

Michael Knowles, a conservative political columnist for the Daily Wire, was giving a speech titled “Men are Not Women,” when the incident occurred.

According to a statement released on UMKC’s Twitter, “The protest turned disruptive, and after several warnings, the disruption persisted.”

After the incident, Knowles tweeted that a protester tried to throw bleach on him. After speaking with police, Knowles tweeted it was instead an odorous substance designed to smell like bleach.

According to a statement from Chancellor Mauli Agrawal released Friday morning, tests revealed the substance was “lavender oil and some other non-toxic household liquids.”

The arrested individual, Alexis Dabu, whose deadname is Gerard Dabu, was charged with assault and other violations.

Protesters outside the event were seen holding signs reading “Trans rights are human rights,” and “Knowles’ ideology kills trans women.”

Protesters inside the event originally planned to stage a silent walk-out at the event before heading to the Inclusion Spring Bash at the University Walkway.

The UMKC College Democrats were critical of the police response to the protest, saying the officers used a taser against an already “incapacitated youth.”

However, Mike Huth, a retired cop and use of force trainer, told KCTV5 the protester was resisting arrest and that the amount of force used was appropriate for the situation.

UMKC says it will continue to gather facts on the incident and review campus policies and procedures.

Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.



UPDATE: authorities now telling me it was not bleach — unknown odorous liquid, appears the attacker was a hoaxer who was fine getting charged with assault but wanted to avoid a felony — Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) April 12, 2019

lac2m2@mail.umkc.edu

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