Acts of political violence are increasing in reaction to the election of President-elect Donald Trump. At an anti-Trump rally in Columbus, Ohio, a protestor was viciously attacked by an Ohio University student. On Monday, a video of Shane Michael Stanton shows the student pushing a man identified as Timothy Adams down a flight of stairs at Union Hall. Adams was delivering a speech when the attack occurred and his bullhorn and glasses were shattered when he hit the tile floor. People surrounding the stairs immediately reacted in an outbreak of violence that was broken up by police officers at the scene. Stanton was arrested and placed under indefinite suspension from Ohio State, according to the university. After the arrest, Adams continued his speech to the gathered crowd at the Ohio Union on the campus of Ohio State University.
Gerard Basalla, Undergraduate Student Government president and a fourth-year student in political science and strategic communication, stated to media, “The assault that occurred — that’s what it was — in the Union tonight is completely unacceptable. Every person on this campus has the right to feel safe and voice their opinion without fearing harm. We can’t be having this.”
University President Michael Drake issued an email to campus, which states in part, “We protect First Amendment rights actively, but we do not under any circumstances tolerate intimidation or threats to students, faculty, staff or visitors to our campus.”
The university spokesperson Chris Davey later released another statement which reads, “We witnessed a disturbing incident at a political demonstration on our campus this afternoon. As we said last week, the safety of our students and freedom of speech are bedrock, immutable principles that are the foundation of our university.”
