Moment woke mob ‘hunts down’ female student who invited black Republican to speak

A University of Buffalo student said she was ‘hunted down’ by a woke mob screaming ‘no justice, no peace,’ after she invited prominent black Republican Lt. Col. Allen West to speak on how he overcame racism. 

Therese Purcell, president of the Young Americans for Freedom, a campus club that organized the event, said she and her fellow members only wanted to bring these open dialogues of racism to campus. 

But protests erupted after the filled-to-capacity event, leading to an angry mob that chased Purcell, leaving her afraid of what would have happened if she wasn’t able to hide from them.

She shared terrifying footage of the incident online, and says it left her fearing for her life, Fox & Friends First reported. 

‘I realized I was the target for these protesters, and about 200 of my fellow students started hunting me down on campus, started chasing me,’ she said.    

Purcell said she heard the angry crown screaming, ‘go get her, go get her, go capture her, the girl in the red dress.’ 

Purcell barely escaped the mob as she was pulled into the bathroom by a friend, where they called 911.   

But Purcell added that even inside the bathroom, she heard the mob yelling that the need to ‘find her.’

‘I’m very afraid of what would have happened if I hadn’t been able to avoid them,’ she said.    

‘I don’t think they were going to do anything remotely peaceful,’ Purcell told Fox & Friends First on Monday. ‘They were a very angry mob, and they were clearly saying that they were trying to chase me, that they wanted to capture me.’ 

Purcell spoke out Monday about the terrifying moment she says she was ‘hunted down’ which made her afraid for her life. 

Tensions rose during the Q&A session just following a speech made by Lt. Col. Allen West at Thursday night’s event called, America Is Not Racist—Why American Values are Exceptional. 

Purcell said students inside the building began protesting and yelling – along with hundreds of others who had gathered outside the event. 

 ‘While they were screaming that we were trying to silence black voices, we were actually trying to bring this conversation to campus,’ Purcell said. ‘But instead of asking questions, they resorted to violence.’

Purcell said the threats escalated as protesters began screaming ‘no peace,’ and ‘banging on the walls,’ which prompted police to escort West out of the building.  

West, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, and former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, was escorted out of the event surrounded by police – but was met with even more protesters. 

Purcell, who was with West, said there were hundreds of protesters screaming at them and she quickly became separated when the mob got in between her and the police who were protecting West.  

She said that’s when she decided to turn around and walk peacefully back to her car. But the mob began to target her, urging one another to ‘capture’ her. 

Purcell said the mob moved on to hunt down other members of the club and claims they physically assaulted one of the board members by kicking and punching him. 

‘I didn’t think it was going to be as controversial… to say on an American campus that American values are a good thing,’ Purcell said. 

‘American values are worth protecting. I don’t think they like Colonel West’s message that he did experience racism… but he overcame that, and he decided not to be a victim… and that America gave him that equality of opportunity that many other countries don’t.’

‘I think these people like to see themselves as the victim, and his message fundamentally challenged that,’ she continued. 

West was a previously a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 22nd Congressional District from 2011 until 2013. He was the first black Republican elected from Florida since Reconstruction.

Most recently, West ran for Governor of Texas, but lost in the Republican primary on March 1, 2022.  

West, who was born in Atlanta, Georgia and went to school in Tennessee, was a member of four consecutive generations in his family to serve in the United States Armed Forces. 

After graduating from the University of Tennessee and getting his master’s degree from Kansas State University, he also earned a master of military arts and sciences degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officer College in political theory and military history and operations.  

West says he wants to leave behind a  legacy of ‘being one who honored his oath to the constitution and safeguarded individual rights, freedoms, and liberty,’ according to Ballotpedia. 

The University at Buffalo Police Department told 7News that it is investigating reports of harassment filed following the campus event.