Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk is accusing the University of California, Davis, of stoking a violent protest of his Tuesday campus appearance, saying the school's chancellor "went out of his way to lie about me."
Ahead of the event, a Sacramento Bee op-ed writer and chancellor of UC Davis Gary May separately made false claims that Kirk has called for violence against transgender people.
"One of the reasons why the tensions were so high … is because the leader of the university went out of his way to lie about me," Kirk said on his podcast Wednesday. "The violence yesterday is directly connected with him as the chancellor of UC Davis lying about me and firing up the shock troops."
Kirk threatened to sue both May and the Bee for the claims. The Bee retracted its statements and apologized, but May has yet to correct himself. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The UC Davis protesters, many clad in black, smashed windows, hurled eggs, and assaulted campus police officers in an unsuccessful effort to disrupt Tuesday’s event, which was organized by the university’s Turning Point chapter. Two people were arrested for allegedly spray-painting the outside of the venue, and the university’s iconic "egghead" statues were daubed with the Antifa symbol and other graffiti. No "major physical injuries" were reported, UC Davis officials said.