Student ARRESTED after police say he targeted conservative group (VIDEO)

A University of Nevada-Reno student is facing charges after a physical confrontation with Turning Point USA members who were promoting an upcoming event with the organization’s founder, Charlie Kirk. Kirk’s appearance on campus was part of his “Culture War” tour. 

The initial confrontation occurred several days before the event and was posted to Kirk’s Twitter. In it, police say Kevin Edsel can be seen shouting expletives to the Turning Point members before flipping over their table and running away.  Edsel now faces charges of property destruction and disturbing the peace. He was booked into the Washoe County Jail a few days after the incident.  

According to online court records, Edsel pleaded not guilty to both misdemeanor counts. He is due in court on November 21. 

Wow:

This intolerant leftist pretends he is curious about my upcoming visit to @unevadareno

He then violently throws over our @TPUSA chapter table and sprints away@RenoPolice needs to look into this destruction of property & targeting of conservatives

RT so they can’t ignore pic.twitter.com/WknR3OjvtL

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 1, 2019

Kirk’s event on campus was met with other counter protests. UNR’s “Anti-Racist Coalition” protested the event and held signs that accused UNR of protecting racists for inviting Kirk. 

[RELATED: Students say CSU president compared Charlie Kirk to blackface, swastika drawings]

Louis Magriel, a former student who attended the protest, said the protests were necessary because Turning Point USA, along with other conservative groups like Young Americans for Freedom and Young Americans for Liberty, “are s****y” and “are trying to demean marginalized communities in our area.” 

“That’s why we’re here, to tell them to f**k off,” Magriel said. 

Faculty and staff at UNR also protested Kirk’s “Culture War” event. 

Over 800 members of the UNR community sent a letter to UNR President Marc Johnson calling on him to take action against TPUSA. Citing the Southern Poverty Law Center, the letter accuses TPUSA of being “linked with white nationalist organizations.” 

[RELATED: Petition accuses TPUSA of creating ‘unsafe space’ at CSU]

The letter also attempts to connect Turning Point with “white supremacist,” “anti-Semitic,” “sexist,” and “anti-LGBTQ” messages on campus. It also accuses the group of “verbal intimidation, doxxing, and inciting mass media spectacles,” among other things. 

Campus Reform reached out to the Turning Point chapter at UNR, but received no response in time for publication. 

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @eduneret