Student charged over protest at anti-transgender speech

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A University of Missouri-Kansas City student is facing charges after he sprayed a substance toward conservative political commentator Michael Knowles during an anti-transgender speech.

Knowles was giving a speech titled “Men are Not Women” on the Missouri-Kansas City campus Thursday when protesters disrupted the event. Authorities said that during the disruption, student Gerard Dabu used a water gun to spray a substance at Knowles, who was not injured. Police tackled and subdued Dabu with a stun gun near the stage.

Chancellor Mauli Agrawal said in a letter to the campus Friday that police reacted that way because they didn’t know if the substance was dangerous. Tests later determined it was lavender oil and other non-toxic household liquids.

Dabu was charged Friday in municipal court in Kansas City with assault and other violations.

Knowles is a conservative contributor to The Daily Wire and published a book titled “Reasons to Vote For Democrats” with blank pages.