UW student arrested after drumming at Turning Point USA event

A University of Washington student was arrested at a Turning Point USA speaking event Wednesday after he was drumming in protest, the university said.

The student was "disrupting the event with persistent loud drumming," said university spokesperson Victor Balta. The student didn't stop after "multiple warnings," and was "arrested related to disorderly conduct."

Turning Point USA was hosting a "Prove Me Wrong" event on the Hub Lawn, featuring right-wing influencer Nick Freitas.

Several counterprotesters were chanting while the student drummed loudly as close to the registered event as possible, and it was preventing the speaker from being heard," Balta said.

"We are seeing a clear escalation by the UW administration to silence protesters on campus," said Isaac Olson of the student group Institutional Climate Action, which identified the student as one of its members, in a statement.

Olson went on to say that "the administration has shown that they are consistently willing to use violence and repression to protect injustice, and this is something that no community members should stand for."

The event mirrored a TPUSA "Debate Me" hosted by the organization's founder, Charlie Kirk, in May 2024 at the university. He was shot and killed at a September event in Utah.

The university's TPUSA chapter, which sponsored the event, said over 500 students attended, sharing photos and videos of students gathering around a tent typical of the organization's campus events.

"UW administration and UWPD give preferential treatment in terms of who gets to express their rights on campus and who does not," Institutional Climate Action members wrote in a statement. "This shows an arbitrary and discriminatory use of policy and resources to repress student protest."

Balta said "the approval of any event is not based on the event's content and should not be considered an endorsement of the views expressed by any speaker."

He went on to say that conduct like drumming that prevents a speaker from being heard "is not protected by the First Amendment. Disorderly conduct prohibits the intentional disruption of any lawful assembly or meeting of persons without lawful authority.

TPUSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 5:05 PM.