The University of Alabama chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, a conservative student organization, hosted “Blood on the Left’s Hands,” a lecture delivered by Nick Freitas on political violence on Thursday, followed by an open Q&A.
Freitas is a Green Beret combat veteran, conservative commentator and member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He repeated comments from a post he previously made on X following the death of Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist, who was killed in a shooting at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
“It’s not a civil dispute among fellow countrymen. It’s a war between diametrically opposed worldviews which cannot peacefully coexist with one another. One side will win, and one side will lose,” Freitas posted, saying he wanted to “defeat the godless ideology that kills babies in the womb, sterilizes confused children, turns our cities into cesspools of degeneracy and lawlessness…and that murdered Charlie.”
Freitas said that leftists’ rhetoric like labeling people as “racist” or “fascist,” resulted in Kirk’s death.
Although he said not all political violence comes from the left, Freitas argued that conservatives are at greater risk.
“More and more over the last several years, when conservatives come to places like college campuses, which are supposed to be open and fertile ground for civil discourse, we’re the ones that need the most security but we get told that we’re the violent ones.”
Outside the event, UA College Democrats distributed flyers that said “80% of ideological-driven violence comes from the right.” Estimates of the amount of political violence caused by people with right-wing beliefs vary, but government and independent analyses found that right-wing extremism was responsible for 75%-80% of U.S. domestic terrorist deaths since 2001.
“They’re claiming that blood’s on our hands, but their speaker is the one that – in a moment where we tried to get national unity – came out and said that there’s a war, and basically called leftists a bunch of degenerates,” said Christian Martin, vice president of UACD.
Following Kirk’s death, the UACD, UA College Republicans and UA Common Ground issued a statement condemning political violence and Kirk’s killing.
Freitas argued against UACD’s statistics, alleging that government sources like the Department of Justice manipulate data to fit a “certain narrative.”
Freitas also criticized statements he called “bad data” published by the Anti-Defamation League and the Center for Strategic and International Studies and claimed without evidence that some information “was actually put out by someone who considers themselves a member of antifa.”
Freitas stressed the need for “neutral areas” where civil discourse can occur.
“I very sincerely hope that we can come to some sort of peaceful resolution about what the future looks like,” he said. “But when I say that this is largely becoming war between diametrically opposed worldviews, it’s because that’s what I observe now.”
Freitas closed on a message to those praising Kirk’s death. “Charlie gave you debate, you murdered him and then you celebrated it,” he said.
Martin said UACD relied on mainstream sources — the Global Terrorism Database and the ADL — to counter what he called misinformation, saying he believes both are centrist organizations.
“If he’s going to misinform people, if you’re going to spread disinformation about us, we’re going to use the mainstream sources,” he said.
He also addressed speculation about Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, saying little is currently known about him, other than “he comes from a very conservative family,” and that “trans folk can be conservative,” in reference to the alleged shooter and his roommate.
In text exchanges between Robinson and his roommate, Robinson wrote “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.” A bullet casing found at the scene wrote “Hey Fascist! Catch!”
Inside the event, UA YAF president Trenton Buffenbarger said it was “sad” that no one was willing to ask an opposing question during the Q&A.
“Throughout the past couple weeks, I’ve told people who disagree with us that I will put them in the front of the line,” he said.
Buffenbarger added that he is still having issues with free speech on campus.
“We still have plenty of other people tearing down our flyers throughout and pouring water on our chalk everywhere,” he said. “To be willing to be unified, you have to be willing to call the other side out, and that’s what I think we’ve done tonight.”
