Young men wearing MAGA hats showed up unannounced at Tennessee State University Tuesday without permission from the school and tried to set up in the university’s quad to presumably engage with HBCU students about MAGA’s right-wing politics.
They were not welcomed and were promptly booted out.
A video of the incident showed white men wearing red Make America Great Again hats at a table they had set up with speakers and signs, reportedly trying to debate students.
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Students were not happy to see them, and TSU security quickly escorted them off campus amid booing and cheers.
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The university issued a statement, according to WKRN.com, stating that it did not grant permission for the group to set up on campus and that it was not affiliated with the school.
“Today, a group of individuals unaffiliated with Tennessee State University appeared on campus without prior notice. In accordance with university police, any demonstration or protest requires advance approval and permitting,” TSU explained.
“Campus police and staff responded promptly, and the individuals were escorted from university grounds without incident. At all times, TSU students conducted themselves in a professional and respectful manner,” the statement continued.
“The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff remain our highest priority. TSU will continue to uphold university policies and ensure that campus remains a safe, welcoming, and orderly environment for all members of our community,” it concluded.
The Nashville chapter of the NAACP also released a statement that said in part that the MAGA members tried to talk with students about immigration, attempting to provoke instead of actually engaging in a legitimate debate.
“This incident was not an isolated act of political expression — it was an intentional effort to antagonize, disrupt, and instill fear in a space created to be safe, affirming and supportive of Black students. While we recognize and respect that free speech is a constitutional right, there is a clear and urgent distinction between constructive dialogue and rhetoric deliberately designed to provoke, demean, and endanger the psychological safety of students at HBCUs,” the statement read in part.
Students did not appreciate the group’s MAGA message. Videos show young adults recording the incident and yelling as security escorted the group away.
Social media lit up with commentary on the incident.
“Oh my MAGA came to my HBCU uninvited to debate today it did end well.. Tennessee State University. Oprah Winfrey is a Alumnus of TSU… they were ran off by TSUPD and Students,” Threads user John Smith said about the MAGA stunt.
Threads poster Pamela Smith agreed, “They tried to spread their ignorance at Tennessee State University, but they FAFO! They need to go talk to their own people!”
“Two white supremacist MAGA supporters decide to show up to the HBCU Tennessee State without a permit after they were emboldened by the Charlie Kirk memorial and it doesn’t end well. It was a fellow white Groyper who assassinated him yet the white supremacists have black folks on the brain rent free 24/7,” another Threads user responded.
“Bothering Black people when it’s your own ppl taking you out is clown behavior,” another stated.
Kirk, the co-founder of the conservative action group Turning Point USA, was assassinated while speaking at a political event at a Utah university earlier this month. He spent years engaging in violent, racist, and misogynistic rhetoric and was also crucial in President Donald Trump’s re-election victory.
Police arrested a white 22-year-old man who grew up in a Trump Republican family and is now facing charges in Kirk’s killing, including murder.
Since the right-wing extremist’s death, Turning Point, which organizes young Republican voters in high schools and colleges, has seen a huge jump in requests for new chapters.
The group posted on social media last week that it has received more than 54,000 requests from schools and college students to either start a new chapter or join an existing one.
