Philly Antifa promotes 'shutting down' Candace Owens event. Her response is perfect (VIDEO)
A Philadelphia Antifa chapter promoted a tweet encouraging people to “shut down” a Monday night event featuring conservative activist Candace Owens. The University of Pennsylvania’s College Republicans chapter invited Owens, who is the director of communications for the conservative group Turning Point USA, to speak on campus. Owens, however, did not seem phased ahead of the event.
Self-described “anti-capitalist” Twitter account Fellow Worker Gritty, which has more than 15,000 followers, branded Turning Point USA a “neo-fascist organization.” “While less aggressive tactics continue, such as phone calls, emails, speaking with the staff, and spreading awareness on social media, it seems likely that a large-scale confrontation is inevitable,” the account tweeted Thursday. “We consider TPUSA to be a threat to our city [Philadelphia].”
TPUSA’s “adulation of free speech and patriotism just barely veil a neo-fascist organization working hand-in-hand with a ‘soft white power’ movement...to recruit 18 to 22-year-olds — a well-worn tactic of early fascists from the Blackshirts to the Hitler Youth,” Fellow Worker Gritty added.
The “ANTIFA Philadelphia” Twitter account shared a separate tweet from the “Fellow Worker Gritty” account, which stated the building and room number in which Owens is scheduled to speak, and added that “the community has organized to shut down this engagement early” by making phone calls to members of UPenn’s administration.
“Hitler admiring, far-right, anti-immigrant fear monger Candace Owens brings her outrageously wrong and backwards ‘ideology’ to UPenn on Monday, for real y’all are an Ivy League School? Y’all should have that revoked,” Antifa Philadelphia tweeted.
[RELATED: VIDEO: Student explodes over anti-socialist event]
Twitter user Antifash Boomhauer responded to Gritty, suggesting that someone should start throwing things at Candace Owens during her event, according to The UPenn Statesman.
“I’m not saying anyone should throw water or eggs at her for speaking but Walmart does sell Coyote Urine in a bottle and Balloons, some assembly required,” the account, which is now private, reportedly said.
“Racist propagandist, white nat’lism enabler & viral deception agent Candace Owens has been invited by Penn GOP to speak on campus,” UPenn researcher Sebastien Mort said on Twitter. “[Owens] is hard at work rewriting history, calling [the Republican party’s Southern Strategy] a myth. Disturbing in light of campus ‘free-speech’ ex order.”
In August, activists harassed Owens and TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk at a Philadelphia coffee shop, according to The Daily Caller. Footage showed one individual pouring a drink on Kirk.
This did not occur too far from UPenn, where the upcoming event hosted by the College Republicans will take place.
UPenn’s College Republicans chapter advertised its speaker event by putting up flyers throughout campus but reported finding them torn down.
[RELATED: Berkeley law school dean: Trump’s free speech executive order is ‘unconstitutional’]
One individual was caught on video attempting to staple a flyer advertising a different event on top of an Owens flyer. A College Republicans member politely asked him to hang it somewhere else, which he did.
WATCH:
But the individual’s event flyer was found covering at least one other TPUSA ad on campus.
[RELATED: Student gov picks a fight with conservative group. Conservative group wins.]
On Monday, just hours ahead of the event, Owens took to Twitter to respond to the backlash.
“Dear Antifa, the year is not 1960 and I am not Ruby Bridges,” Owens tweeted. “Your threats of violence do not scare me. I will be walking through the front door of UPENN today with my head held high. You racist white Democrats didn’t win back then—and you won’t win now.”
“We are saddened that some members of the Penn community are hostile to such an inspiring figure in Black Conservatism,” UPenn College Republicans President Danielle Yampolsky told Campus Reform. “President Trump’s executive order protecting free speech is necessary to protect conservative groups from such blatant attacks by shameless Leftists on college campuses.”
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @AminovJoshua
