While enjoying breakfast in Philadelphia on Monday, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and TPUSA staffer Candace Owens were accosted by a mob of angry leftists, including members of Antifa. Protesters screamed phrases like “You’re a soft fascist!” and “Fuck white supremacy!” at both Kirk and Owens.
Charlie Kirk and I just got ATTACKED and protested by ANTIFA for eating breakfast. They are currently following us through Philly. ALL BLACK AND HISPANIC police force protecting us as they scream “f*ck the racist police”. pic.twitter.com/x5WUNr9mM6
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) August 6, 2018
While outside, protesters with megaphones screamed directly at Owens. Owens likened her experience to that of the civil rights protests of the 1960s.
Was this picture of a white Democrat using a megaphone to shout violent rhetoric into the ear of a black woman taken in 1965?
NOPE! It was taken today, folks.
A picture is worth a thousand words. pic.twitter.com/iCVsEyBckx— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) August 6, 2018
At one point, protesters dumped a cup of water on Kirk.
When asked for comment, Kirk and Owens said they opted not to press charges against any of the protesters.
Despite this experience, Kirk emphasized civility and wished all customers of the restaurant a pleasant meal. “Enjoy your capitalist breakfast,” Kirk said as he exited the restaurant.
Kirk and Owen’s reaction to the event echoes the lessons taught during TPUSA’s recent High School Leadership Summit in July. In an exclusive interview with Red Alert Politics at the time, Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens spoke on the need for civil discourse after declaring they were on a quest to “save Western civilization.”
When talking about the ability to respectfully disagree, Owens said: “That is the main differentiator between the Left and the Right. We [the Right] welcome disagreement. We welcome healthy debate.” She also encouraged students to respond with “class, dignity, and respect.”
Kirk concurred, emphasizing that anyone who believes in freedom, liberty, and American exceptionalism is on the “same team.” “We just want to be a force for building and not for destroying or destruction. Everything Candace and I do, we wake up every single day and say, how can we build, how can we do better.”
“You get knocked down a lot … but I think just we have focus, and tenacity, and we think we’re doing the most necessary work in the country right now.” Owens said. “How can you give up when you feel like you’re saving Western civilization?”
Anthony Leonardi is a contributor to Red Alert Politics. He’s a third-year student at the University of Florida, where he runs thinkoutsidepolitics.com. Eduardo Neret (@eduneret) is a contributor to Red Alert Politics. He is a senior at the University of Florida, where he runs the Daily Nerv, a student-run conservative online publication.
