Education

Antifa Shuts Down Libertarian Event At King’s College London

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Antifa protesters crashed a libertarian event Monday at King’s College London, reportedly throwing smoke bombs and injuring a security guard.

King’s College London’s libertarian society hosted a talk featuring Ayn Rand Institute Chairman of the Board Dr. Yaron Brook and Carl Benjamin, an anti-leftist YouTuber also known as Sargon of Akkad, to discuss Rand’s theory of objectivism.

Fewer than 10 Antifa members can be seen rushing the stage — one of them even picked a fight with Benjamin.

Antifa “used violence against campus police … one of the security guards actually got hit in the head,” Brook told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “The other administrators there were similarly attacked, pushed around, kicked. They basically overcame campus security and rushed into the room.”

“The audience kind of stood up to them,” Brook added.

“It all went very well,” Benjamin told TheDCNF. “We had a bit of a scuffle on the stage, but they weren’t able to push me around, and the lads in the audience started kicking their a**es so they beat a hasty retreat, leaving their flag, which I now have as a trophy.”

An Antifa-oriented campus group announced Sunday a demonstration for the event via Facebook, Brook told TheDCNF. Administrators said Monday morning only students would be granted entry to the talk.

The college’s libertarian society’s event page lists 304 attendees.

“This leaves about 200 registered people who are not students unable to get in,” Ayn Rand Institute spokeswoman Sara Leopold said to TheDCNF.

But Brook and Benjamin’s audience ended up consisting of only around 30 individuals who followed the two speakers to a location off-campus, Brook said to TheDCNF.

Antifa “like[s] identifying anybody who is not on the left as a fascist,” Brook told TheDCNF, contrasting himself with Richard Spencer, the white nationalist speaker whom the group also protested. “They called me a fascist and a racist.”

“Last night’s event organised by King’s College London’s Libertarian Society had to be cancelled after protestors [sic] violently forced their way into the venue,” a King’s College London spokesman told TheDCNF. “The Police attended and we are fully co-operating with their investigation. We absolutely condemn the use of violent protest in any situation.”

The school said it will review the occurrence to determine what “appropriate action” it will take.

Antifa protested in February free market capitalism group Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

This post has been updated to include comment from Carl Benjamin and King’s College London.

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