BREAKING: Anti-TPUSA group vandalizes chapter flyers, calls conservatives ‘fascists’
An anti-conservative group allegedly vandalized Turning Point USA flyers at the University of Cincinnati.
The group replaced the posters with their own ads recruiting students to 'keep [TPUSA’s] propaganda off of our campus.'
A student movement to remove a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter from the University of Cincinnati (UC) allegedly vandalized conservative flyers that were posted around campus, photos show.
UC’s TPUSA chapter President Ashley Gates shared a photo of a flyer posted to a campus pole that was vandalized with a black marker. The flyer featured a quote from conservative influencer Candace Owens, which was scratched out and replaced with the word “Fascists.”
Gates told Campus Reform that she had noticed her flyers go missing across campus. In place of Gates’ flyers, another flyer shows an advertisement for the group TPUSA-Free UC, which allegedly intends to remove the conservative chapter from campus.
“Want to keep their propaganda off our campus? Join us!,” the opposing group’s flyer reads.
Gates explained on Facebook that multiple advertisements are posted across campus in place of her posters.
“Monday afternoon, I put up flyers. Tuesday morning, they were all taken down,” Gates wrote. “Now, there [are] a ton of these.”
TPUSA at UC recently reformed after being quiet on campus for nearly 5 years, Gates explained. She explained that while the group will not be deterred by the opposition to their presence, there is some anxiety ahead of their first meeting.
“We personally are a little bit concerned because we do have our first meeting coming up,” Gates said. “I am really afraid that they’re going to show up.”
But rather than bend a knee, Gates explained the group intends to take the high road.
“We’re going to be professional,” she said. “We do not promote taking down each others flyers. Each one of us has a right to freedom of speech, to express their values.”
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She continued, saying that students should debate and discuss topics without yelling, violence, or violating the code of conduct.
The “Bearcat bond,” a staple of the Student code of conduct, states that the university “aspires for its students to demonstrate high standards of integrity and conduct.”
UC encourages students to abide by the bond, which states that “[a]s a member of the University of Cincinnati,” students pledge to “uphold the principles of a just community and the values of respect, responsibility, and inclusiveness.”
Students are encouraged to “promote the highest levels of personal and academic honesty and aspire continuously to better myself, the bearcat community, and the world.”
Campus Reform contacted UC for comment and attempted to contact TPUSA-Free UC. This article will be updated accordingly.
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