A conservative college student who attended a recent event featuring retired Army Lt. Col. Allen West said she was chased by a left-wing student-led mob and was forced to hide, fearing for her safety.
The event, which took place at the University of Buffalo, also saw police surrounding West and escorting him out for his safety as well.
The Blaze reports:
Young Americans for Freedom President Therese Purcell claimed recently that she was forced to hide in a men’s bathroom on campus after being separated from the police escort and being targeted by dozens of protesters on Thursday.
West had been invited on campus as part of the conservative student group’s lecture series. The event was titled, “America Is Not Racist — Why American Values Are Exceptional.”
Throughout the event, dozens, if not hundreds, of protesters flocked outside the venue to denounce West’s appearance, shouting chants such as “Black Lives Matter” and “No Justice, No Peace!”
Video of the event shows that tensions rose dramatically during a Q&A session following West’s speech, and during the latter meet-and-greet portion of the event, things really spiraled out of control.
“I realized I was the target for these protesters, and about 200 of my fellow students started hunting me down on campus,” Purcell recalled in an interview with Fox News. “They started chasing me [and] screaming, ‘Go get her! Go get her! Capture her! Get the girl in the red dress!'”
She went on to say that she was only able to escape by running from the mob and hiding in a men’s bathroom that was thankfully nearby. However, she went on to say that another of her club members was not as fortunate, saying he was reportedly punched and kicked by protesters.
The conservative student added that she was lucky to have gotten away and did not know what fate would have befallen her had she been caught by the mob.
“I was really afraid for my life since they physically assaulted my friend, and like I said, they were screaming, ‘No peace!'” she told Fox News. “I don’t think they were going to do anything remotely peaceful. They were a very angry mob, and they were clearly saying that they were trying to chase me, that they wanted to capture me.”
“So I’m afraid of what would have happened if I wasn’t able to hide from them,” she added.
WATCH:
She added in a statement on Friday: “I am unbelievably disturbed that I was chased by a leftist mob and scared for my life on my college campus all for hosting Lt. Col. Allen West, a conservative speaker. The assault on free speech at the University at Buffalo by an angry mob is incredibly unacceptable.”
According to local reports, the university and its police department have launched investigations into various allegations of violence and who may have been responsible, but no arrests have been made and frankly, no one should expect there to be any.
“The university is conducting a thorough review of events and activities leading up to, during, and after an appearance by former congressman and retired Army Lt. Col. Allen West, including the posting of anonymous social media messages threatening students protesting West’s speech and harassment of students after the speech,” the school said Friday.
