Turning Point USA (TPUSA) members involved in a violent confrontation at the University of Texas at Tyler say growing hostility toward conservative voices on college campuses is threatening open dialogue.
“The fact that we’re there for open conversation on campus, it’s sad that that’s something that would make him be so aggressive towards us,” TPUSA field representative Janae Jenson told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday.
Jenson, who appeared alongside fellow TPUSA member Davis Thrower, said the suspect, identified as Ciro Tomlian, 19, a former UT Tyler student, repeatedly approached their display, insulting the group before the confrontation turned physical.
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Jenson said the incident caught her off guard, particularly because she described UT Tyler as a “small” and “mostly conservative” campus, but she suggested the confrontation reflects a broader pattern of hostility toward conservative students.
“Our students face threats of violence and mean words all the time on the daily. So, I mean something like this is bound to happen eventually,” she said.
Video shows Tomlian wearing a cape and a round-brimmed hat as he throws an American flag on the ground and swings a cane at a group of people. TPUSA members can be heard urging him to stop and warning that police were nearby.
“I think the media and interacting online has radicalized a lot of individuals,” Thrower said, when asked about the confrontation.
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“I also believe that we have a major health crisis, mental health crisis within our nation that is not properly addressed,” Thrower added.
A Gallup survey published in December 2025 found that 30% of adults ages 18 to 29 said it is sometimes acceptable to use violence to achieve a political goal.
Asked about the Gallup findings, Thrower said some people fail to understand that physically hurting others because of political disagreements is unacceptable.
“They hear something they don’t like and they don’t understand that it’s not acceptable to lash out and physically hurt people,” he said.
University of Texas at Tyler police arrested Tomlian following the incident. According to university officials and local reports, he faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of assault causing bodily injury, stemming from accusations that he struck people at the TPUSA event with a cane.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.