About a hundred University of North Texas students held a walkout and protest Friday on the steps of the administration building.
About a hundred University of North Texas students held a walkout and protest Friday on the steps of the administration building.
They're upset with the university's response to a controversial speaker invited to campus and how the police responded to the protest against him.
"There's a big diverse population here at UNT and he is alienating a big part of it by not condemning the hatred that happened Wednesday night," organizer Tara Olson said.
Students held signs and chanted in protest of President Neil Smatresk and a statement he released after the earlier protest.
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“They are more than welcome to assemble and have groups and such,” Olson said. “But what they did Wednesday night was purposely try to antagonize and bring a hateful rhetoric to the campus and that is not okay.”
Video showed the protest aftermath of an event planned by the Young Conservatives of Texas. The campus recognized group invited Texas House candidate Jeff Younger to speak. He's fighting against child gender-affirming care.
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The event was shut down and he and organizers were escorted out by police.
"We've never had a meeting that turned out like that,” said Kelly Neidert, past president of the Young Conservatives of Texas.
Neidert herself hid in a janitor's closet with an officer.
"At that point, they were yelling and banging on all the doors and they did shake the handle of the closet I was in but it was locked from the inside,” she said.
Officers then escorted her out of the building and into a waiting police car with protesters surrounding them.
"They don't understand that we have a different belief than them but we don't hate them,” Neidert said.
As they were driving away, one of the protesters was injured.
The person was not hurt seriously, according to the university.
Protestors felt the president's statement didn't truly reflect the nature of the campus. So they held this protest to send a message to the administration.
"He left it very ambiguous and up to the crowd to decide who was the bad guys there and now it's coming back on the trans community and that is not okay,” Olson said. “UNT is a safe place for people of all genders, sexuality and religion and President Smatresk is not holding up that and that is why we are here today."
You can read President Smatresk's full statement below.
Dear UNT Community,
Last night a registered student organization, Young Conservatives of Texas, hosted a guest speaker at Curry Hall. Because conversations surrounding the student organization’s event, which focused on criminalizing healthcare for transgender children, have been contentious, UNT Police created a plan to ensure their ability to maintain a safe environment for our entire campus community, the student organizers, their guest, and event protestors, requesting advance assistance from both Denton Police and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Based on the event space capacity and for safety purposes, the room was limited to 80 attendees. A few hundred protestors gathered outside the building, holding signs and chanting. The police agencies tasked with maintaining public safety were inside and outside the building. DPS officers were staged at a nearby location as an extra safety precaution.
The police believe a small group of protestors not affiliated with the university contributed to escalating the overall protest from peaceful to an aggressive encounter. These actions culminated with a group of protestors swarming police, who were working to safely escort both the guest speaker and student organizers off campus. DPS was called in to assist with maintaining safety.
A group of protestors surrounded the police vehicles containing both the student organizers and their guest and attempted to block their exit from the scene by banging on the vehicles and impeding their movement. The officers engaged emergency lights and sounded warning sirens repeatedly while inching forward as other officers assisted in clearing a path for the vehicles to exit safely. We have heard accounts of a protester who was reportedly injured during that time. However, we do not have confirmed details of that report. While overall the event was not without incident, it did end without any reported serious injuries. UNT Police and the other supporting agencies were able to get the student organizers and their guest to safety, while also dispersing the protestors without further incident.
We have always touted the importance of freedom of expression and been proud of our students’ ability to speak up for themselves and participate in nonviolent protest. UNT Police have continuously worked to create and maintain an environment safe for all students to express themselves, regardless of topic. As always, campus safety is our top priority, and we will continue working to provide a safe environment for our students. We have always been a passionate community that stands up for our ideals, but last night’s behavior by some individuals is not reflective of the UNT I know and love.
Respectfully,
Neal Smatresk
UNT President
