FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A large group of police officers were positioned on the Colorado State University campus Tuesday evening as Donald Trump Jr. and right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk spoke at an event that was part of Kirk’s “Culture War” tour.
The last time Kirk appeared on the CSU campus, in February 2018, large protests led to tense moments.
Police worked to keep anti-Trump and pro-Trump protesters on opposite sides of a street outside the University Center for the Arts, where the two men spoke.
Anti-Trump protesters arrived before the event started.
Students of the CSU chapter of Turning Point USA were behind the event. The organization as a whole was founded by Kirk.
Critics say Kirk’s group is a racist organization and compare it to white supremacy. But Kirk says he’s just trying to promote freedom. In a CSU student radio interview — broadcast Tuesday on KCSU-FM — Kirk called out the university’s president.
“It’s very disappointing that a college president would loop me into a statement that would compare our organization, me, to white supremacists,” Kirk said during the radio broadcast.
Organizers say the Culture War event shines a spotlight on the big differences between progressives and conservatives in a polarized United States.
The demonstrations ended just after 9 p.m. FOX31 and Channel 2 did not witness any violence or arrests.