(The Center Square) – A planned event at the University of Washington hosted by the Turning Point USA chapter was canceled after protesters disrupted organizers.
The event was to feature Olivia Krolczyk, an ambassador for the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute, who intended to talk about barring males from participating in female sports and protecting what she believes to be the original intent of Title IX.
However, Krolczyk told The Center Square that she “immediately met with resistance” when she arrived on campus where the event was to be hosted. “I couldn’t walk 10 feet without seeing a flag or poster. Whenever we tried to talk or record, they shined lights in our eyes.”
The Daily, UW’s student newspaper that had two journalists covering the event, reported that the protest was organized by Students for a Democratic Society, whose UW chapter “serves to organize, educate, and empower students at the University of Washington through nonviolent direct action, campus canvassing, voter education and registration, volunteer training, political advocacy, community events, and more.”
According to Krolczyk, once the building was opened for attendees to enter, protesters began pulling fire alarms and breaking windows, as well as blocking the entrances and exits, trapping her, attendees, and the university police and private security inside. She added that some protesters released balloons with noisemakers attached to them.
She said the officers eventually decided the situation was too violent to continue the event, and she was escorted out of the building bundled in police jackets and brought to the police station.
While Krolczyk has filed a police report, she says the university “handled themselves poorly” and is contemplating further legal action that could be tied to President Donald Trump’s recent executive order concerning free speech on university campuses.
When The Center Square reached out to UW for comment on the protest, University spokesperson and Assistant Vice President for Communications Victor Balta disputed the claim that event attendees were prevented by protesters from leaving the building, writing that the event planners decided to leave.
“UW police were inside the room the entire time and they assure me that the doors in and out of the room were accessible, and people could leave the room and the building,” he wrote.
He added that “the responsibility for interrupting last night’s event falls on those whose actions were disruptive and damaging, including breaking a window, graffiti in the building and wasting firefighters’ time with a false fire alarm. Anyone who is identified to have been responsible for vandalism or property damage will be pursued through legal channels.”
He also wrote that “it is clear that presenters and disruptors are, in some cases, seeking to antagonize one another in ways that provide dramatic content for their social media feeds.”
However, Krolczyk told The Center Square that the university is “continuing to dig themselves a deeper hole” by implying event organizers intentionally tried to provoke a response.
“I was there to speak the truth, and they can’t handle it,” she said.
According to a screenshot of a text message sent out prior to the event, the UW Q Center described the event as “transphobic” and sought to have it cancelled, then offered counseling for students the same night as the event. Funded by the Services and Activities Fee, the Q Center seeks to “foster a brave, affirming, and inclusive community where everyone’s gender and sexual identities are celebrated.”
A prior Turning Point USA event at the UW last year featuring Charlie Kirk was also disrupted by Antifa members, who were recorded on video attacking independent journalist Jonathan Choe and his security detail.
