The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
Riley Gaines ‘ambushed and physically hit’ after Saving Women’s Sports speech at San Francisco State
Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines was barricaded in a room at San Francisco State University Thursday night after she was physically assaulted following a speech to students about saving women’…
nypost.com
Riley Gaines ‘ambushed and physically hit’ after Saving Women’s Sports speech at San Francisco State
By
Lee Brown
April 7, 2023 7:00am
Updated
Swimmer Riley Gaines says she was “ambushed and physically hit” and forced to barricade for three hours from a mob of trans-rights protesters who stormed her speech about protecting women’s sports.
The 12-time All-American champ — a former competitor of controversial trans swimmer Lia Thomas -— shared alarming footage of cops hustling her to safety late Thursday at San Francisco State University.
“Why are you running!” one of the protesters yells gleefully — before a short-haired activist jumps in front of her to scream abuse.
“Yeah you f—ing transphobic b—h — I f–ing see you!” the deranged-sounding activist screams as Gaines tries to escape down a hallway.
Gaines’ footage — as well as other clips shared on social media — show security and university staff blocking the angry mob from following the distressed guest speaker as she’s taken to a safe room at 8;30 p.m..
“You crying! You f—ing crying b—h — f–k you!” one of the group screams.
Gaines shared a video of her stuck in a room while security attempted to free her.Riley Gaines: Twitter
Gaines was surrounded by photographers after the incident.Riley Gaines: Twitter“Bye b—h! F–k you,” the protesters yells, as others holding “Trans Lives Matter” signs chant “trans rights are human rights” and “Trans women are women.”
Gaines’ agent, Eli Bremer, said that she was then “barricaded” in a room “for three hours.”
“The police cannot break Riley free,” he said, with student outlet Golden Gate Xpress showing more than a dozen of San Francisco Police Department cops arriving in several squad cars as backup.
At 11:21 p.m., officers announced through a bullhorn that the gathering was an unlawful congregation and those refusing to leave would be arrested.
Gaines was finally able to leave at 11:38 p.m. — more than 3 hours after being first led to safety — with a huge police presence to stop her from being followed, online videos show.
She later said that she had been “ambushed and physically hit twice” in the mayhem.
One protestor was seen shouting at Gaines in the hallway while security escorted the former swimmer. Riley Gaines: Twitter“The prisoners are running the asylum at SFSU,” she wrote.
“This is proof that women need sex-protected spaces. Still only further assures me I’m doing something right. When they want you silent, speak louder,” she said.
Her husband, Louis Barker, also told Fox News Digital that the young swimmer reported being “hit multiple times.”
“I was shaking. It made me that mad. It makes me sick to feel so helpless about it,” the hubby said. “She was under police protection and was still hit by a man wearing a dress.”
Gaines became a national figure when she objected to trans swimmer Lia Thomas participating in women’s sports.Footage from earlier in the night showed cops trying to keep the protesters out of Gaines’ talk, with the chants still partially drowning out her words.
The activists — “organized by SFSU’s Queer and Trans Resource Center” — waited outside and then “rushed in when the event was over,” according to a spokesperson for the university’s branch of the conservative group Turning Point USA, which hosted the event.
Bremer, Gaines’ agent, told Fox that Gaines wanted to “share her personal story of competing against a biological male athlete, Lia Thomas, at the Women’s NCAA Swimming Championships last year.”
“Instead of a thoughtful discussion tonight at SFSU, Riley was violently accosted, shouted at, physically assaulted, and barricaded in a room by protestors,” he said.
“It is stunning that in America in 2023, it is acceptable for biological male students to violently assault a woman for standing up for women’s rights.
“This will not stop Riley from boldly educating people of the dangers of biological males in women’s sports.
“She will continue to speak the truth against the radical left that no longer understands the difference between men and women.”
On Twitter, he decried how the fracas was just days after Cash App founder Bob Lee was brutally stabbed to death in the Golden Gate City.
“What is wrong with San Fran that they cannot protect tech executives nor can they protect women’s rights advocates????” he asked.
The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. The San Francisco Police Department also did not respond to requests and has yet to detail if there were any arrests.
