A protest at New York University turned violent Thursday night as police clashed with demonstrators outraged over a lecture given by conservative comic and actor Gavin McInnes at the college's student center.
Eleven people were arrested outside NYU's Kimmel Center in Greenwich Village and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and criminal mischief during the event sponsored by the NYU College Republicans.
McInnes, who co-founded Vice Media and has been dubbed "The Godfather of Hipsterdom," spoke for only three minutes without interruption until he was jeered and was escorted out a back entrance by security, The Washington Square News reports.
McInnes said on Twitter he had been hit with pepper spray, but "being called a Nazi burned way more."
Among McInnes' controversial stances has been his support of Donald Trump's ban of immigrants from entering the United States.
"[Banning] Muslims from returning to America is brash and bold, but it's also what we need in this day and age," he said in a commentary posted by The Rebel.
And in a discussion sponsored by The Huffington Post, McInnes lamented that "people would be happier if women would stop pretending to be men …
"Women are feigning that toughness. We've trivialized childbirth and being domestic so much that women are forced to pretend to be men. They're feigning this toughness, they're miserable."
In a statement released an hour after the melee, the College Republicans said:
"The purpose of this event was to promote free speech and not to promote certain ideas. The purpose of our club is to give students the opportunity to meet and listen to conservative speakers from all across the political spectrum, especially since we are the largest conservative organization on campus."
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