The front man for campus-focused conservative group Turning Point USA will be speaking at an event at San Diego State University in March.
The group, which already has an established chapter at SDSU, has been heavily promoting the “Live Free Tour” appearance on March 18th.
The group is known for its inflammatory rhetoric and support of far right causes. Campus appearances by its co-founder and president, right-wing activist and MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk, are often accompanied by protests or tensions on campus and occasionally outright violence.
Kirk also has a history of racist rhetoric, such as attempting to discredit the work and statements of Martin Luther King, Jr., or blaming flight disturbances on Black pilots.
However, despite the group’s announcement of the event, it was not officially permitted by SDSU’s Event Application System as of last week, according to an emailed statement from a campus spokesperson.
“It is important to clarify that the proposed event that you referenced is not a university event and is not one organized or sponsored by university administrators,” said the statement.
“At this time, the proposed event has also not yet been permitted through the university’s Event Application System (EAS), which requires all SDSU Recognized Student Organizations that wish to hold an event on-campus submit their event request via the EAS system.”
The San Diego State University branch of TPUSA did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
Clarification, Feb. 20, 11:40 a.m. – A previous version of this story said that the event was not sanctioned by SDSU administrators. It has been updated to clarify instead that it was not permitted by SDSU’s Event Application System. -bb
