Crowd disrupts Tomi Lahren event at UNM

Sep. 16—A speech by controversial conservative commentator Tomi Lahren at the University of New Mexico on Thursday night was briefly disrupted by about 100 protesters.

UNM spokesperson Cinnamon Blair said she was not aware if the protesters were affiliated with a specific group.

"My understanding is that (Lahren) was able to finish delivering her speech, and during the Q&A it became really loud, and somebody at some point pulled a fire alarm," Blair said.

The student chapter of Turning Point USA organized the event and invited Lahren to speak.

UNM Police, New Mexico State Police and other security personnel were present. Blair said the university had anticipated a protest.

The free event required tickets and was held in a room with closed doors.

Video posted to social media shows people pushing against and pulling the doors and chanting "(expletive) Trump" and "(expletive) Tomi Lahren."

"There was a hole knocked in one of the walls, and that is considered vandalism," Blair said. "And since the fire alarm was pulled unlawfully, we will be investigating those things."

On Twitter, Lahren said the "leftist" disruption was "violent and abhorrent."

"These rabid nerds aren't trying to combat 'white supremacy' they are trying desperately to get noticed and take out their pent-up misfit syndrome on decent people who just want to listen to a campus speaker," Lahren wrote. "They get away with it because society has protected their bullsh*t."

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Caitlyn Jenner also took to social media in support of Lahren.

An official university statement said that UNM values free speech and the campus' role "as a public square for debate."

UNM said the university is "deeply disappointed in the actions of those individuals who intentionally chose to disrupt a scheduled speaker and infringed upon the rights of the speaker and those who attended the event to listen and engage."

Lahren is a right-wing media personality and staunch Trump supporter.

She has likened Black Lives Matter activists to the KKK and embraces anti-vaccination and anti-immigration policies.