TPUSA counter-event speakers rip 'fascist' Republicans, claim Kirk program 'manipulates' students

Turning Point USA’s "This Is The Turning Point" tour stop at the University of Mississippi drew a crowd of thousands. Meanwhile, a simultaneous counter-event from the Ole Miss College Democrats "Mississippi Rise-Up Townhall" was held, featuring progressive speakers, including Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. and former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.

Fox News Digital attended the counter-event, where Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson, D., spoke, and weighed in on political violence, free speech, and campus protest culture. 

"I did a conference and people said, you know, you've got to say why it's fascism," Johnson said during her speech. "You know, don't just say, just like they call us socialist or communist or whatever. Tell a lie. When you are whitewashing our history or refusing to teach our full history, banning books, disappearing our neighbors with no due process, And I stand with the guy who said we shouldn't call it Alligator Alcatraz, it should be Alligator Auschwitz."

Johnson agreed to an interview following the event.

Johnson claimed students at the TPUSA event were "being lied to" and given "false information." When asked, she didn't give clear examples and accused the organization of "manipulating things from the Bible, things from The Constitution, things from the law."

"Oh, wow," she said. "Well, I'll have to go back to some of the things, like some of the Bible references that I've seen in reviewing tapes about, well, this is, you know, this is what Christ said about this, and that wasn't Christ's words," Johnson said when asked.

OLE MISS STUDENTS CELEBRATE ‘ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME’ NIGHT WITH ERIKA KIRK AND JD VANCE

Johnson was asked if she believes university administrators and professors have an obligation to call out political violence.

"I don't know if it's their responsibility to call out political violence. I think that no one — I would hope no one supports the idea of political violence. And just because you may not call it out doesn't mean you don't thoroughly disagree with it."

When asked by Fox News Digital if this changes things since Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a college campus, Johnson replied:

"I feel like those things could have happened anywhere, no matter what the venue was. And I think that once again… everybody in this country doesn't have to call out political violence. But some of us in positions of leadership, the second it happened, I had to write something because I was so horrified by it. But, certainly, we want professors to encourage dialogue."

Johnson was asked about her thoughts about the use of the term "fascist" to describe people on the right and their views.

"We have an administration that is completely ignoring the Constitution of these United States and the courts that are telling them they can't do this thing or the other. And that is what leads to fascism. That's what fascism is, and so if I talk about being the fascist... A fascist country, I will give you examples."

Johnson claimed the Trump administration is ignoring the U.S. constitution, "and the courts that are telling them they can't do this thing or the other. And that is what leads to fascism."

She also included claims of "banning books" and criticized immigration enforcement, and said, "we are disappearing people on the streets without due process." 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Johnson, when asked if she believes that calling people fascist contributes to political violence, said, "Are we going to ask Republicans not to call me a socialist or a Marxist or a communist, which they've been doing for 10 years?"

As students express concerns with professors across the nation, Johnson said students should handle these incidents with professors themselves, and take them up to the university if they aren't resolved with a professor. 

FIRST-TIME CONSERVATIVE EVENT ATTENDEES DISCUSS DEBATE OVER 'OWNING THE LIBS' AT TPUSA CAMPUS TOUR

Johnson said, "Let's trust the people that are running these schools and let them make those decisions, because guess what? They've been doing it for more than 100 years, and they've been doing just fine, apparently, until just the last few years."

Johnson spoke about protests, "I believe that you don't get to tell people how to protest. People need to decide what that protest is, what it's going to look like on a campus. And so our constitution says you may protest. You have a right to do that. It doesn't tell you how. We're heading into fascism when you start telling people how or where they can protest."

However, Johnson said when protests become violent, it is no longer a protest and actually violence.

"If someone does a crime while protesting, then go ahead and arrest them for the crime they committed. But protest does not involve any criminal activity."

Ole Miss professor James Thomas, who appeared on TPUSA’s "professor watchlist," accused the conservative group of "promoting fascist propaganda" and said its event was "a gross affront to the very principles upon which our university rests."

"In promoting their fascist propaganda in front of a captive audience, within the contained, controlled environment of our basketball arena, that's not a clear demonstration of a commitment to the First Amendment."

Thomas continued, "What is happening at the pavilion is not a testament to free speech. It is a gross affront to the very principles upon which our university rests. The only event happening today that reflects the true spirit of the First Amendment is the event taking place right here in this room."

MASSIVE CROWDS LINE UP IN THE RAIN AT OLE MISS FOR TURNING POINT USA EVENT WITH VP VANCE, ERIKA KIRK

The TPUSA event had 10,000 attendees, with thousands turned away, according to TPUSA's Andrew Kolvet.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News' Matt Leach contributed to this report.