Ohio State student arrested after tackling anti-Trump speaker

An Ohio State University student was arrested Monday after tackling a fellow student who was making a speech inside the student union protesting the election of Donald Trump.

According to the Lantern, Ohio State’s student newspaper, Shane Michael Stanton was charged with one count of misdemeanor assault and placed on indefinite suspension from the university. Stanton, 24, will make an initial court appearance on Tuesday morning, Franklin County Municipal Court records show.

In a video posted online by the paper, the anti-Trump demonstrator — identified as Timothy Adams — is seen addressing a crowd of about 100 protesters through a bullhorn from a staircase inside the building. A man in a striped sweater — later identified as Stanton — approached from behind, yelling “you idiot” before sending Adams flying down the flight of stairs.

Adams landed face-down and injured his left hand, court records show.

Stanton was held down by several protesters as police quickly intervened and led Stanton away from the building to chants of “Shame!”

As they were leaving, Adams stood up and asked, “Can I finish my speech now?” which was met by laughter and cheers, according to the Lantern.

“The assault that occurred — that’s what it was — in the Union tonight is completely unacceptable,” Gerard Basalla, undergraduate student government president, told the paper. “Every person on this campus has the right to feel safe and voice their opinion without fearing harm. We can’t be having this.”

“We are especially outraged that violence was used today at the Ohio Union as an attempt to quell free speech,” OSU’s chapter of College Democrats said in a statement published on Facebook. “Acts of violence such as this cannot be allowed to become normalized at OSU or anywhere in America.”

Since Trump’s stunning victory over Hillary Clinton in last week’s presidential election, anti-Trump protests have erupted around the country, some turning violent. Hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested. And there have been numerous incidents of vandalism and intimidation reported since Election Day, with racist graffiti appearing in schools and pro-Trump bullying directed at children and minorities.

Ohio State University president Michael Drake sent an email to students and faculty over the weekend saying such threatening behavior would not be tolerated on campus.

“We protect First Amendment rights actively,” Drake wrote. “But we do not under any circumstances tolerate intimidation or threats to students, faculty, staff or visitors to our campus.”

Schools around the country are grappling with similar issues in the wake of the election.

At Michigan State, the student union will be offering “healing spaces” where “students will have the opportunity to discuss how the campus community can come together after a long and divisive election season.”

“For some students who are international students or who hold certain religious beliefs or marginalized identities, it’s a pretty scary time, not just here at just MSU, but across the United States,” Antonio Pee, MSU assistant director of residence education, told CBS Detroit.

At the University of Pennsylvania, a criminal investigation was launched after several black freshmen were added to a group text message that included multiple racial slurs and invitations for “daily lynchings.” The investigation concluded that the texts, sent via an app called GroupMe, were linked to an account at the University of Oklahoma. School officials there said one student had been suspended pending the outcome of their investigation.

“We call on everyone to recognize that the events of the past few days are a tragic reminder of the overt and reprehensible racism that continues to exist within some segments of our society,” Penn president Amy Gutmann said in a statement. “We all need to unite together as a community and a society to oppose. We are deeply saddened that Penn students were the victims of this hate, to which absolutely nobody should be subjected.”

In an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday, Trump was asked if he had a message for his supporters who have reportedly been harassing minorities since his election victory.

“I would say, ‘Don’t do it, that’s terrible,’” Trump said. “I am so saddened to hear that. And I say, ‘Stop it.’ If it — if it helps — I will say this, and I will say right to the cameras: ‘Stop it.’”