Kent State 'gun girl' claims students started a riot over her - police say they did not

'She drew a large crowd of people, many with opposing viewpoints, who also chose to exercise their first amendment rights'

A campus protest against the “Kent State gun girl” Kaitlin Bennett was not “a riot,” according to Ohio University police.

Ms Bennett, who helps run a conservative website called Liberty Hangout and who often appears on Alex Jones’ InfoWars programs, was driven off the campus of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio on Monday by a student protest according to the Athens News.

She said the students “started a riot” and claims the police “let it happen.”

“This is what happens when a Trump supporter goes to a college campus,” she tweeted. “Leftists at @Ohiou started a riot when @joelpatrick1776 and I showed up, and the @oupolice let it happen. I think @realDonaldTrump should strip funding from universities like this that harbor terrorists.”

Ms Bennett is best known for open-carrying an AR-10 rifle during her graduation from Kent State University.

Ohio University police rejected Ms Bennett’s claim in a statement issued Monday.

“Early this afternoon an activist appeared unexpectedly on the Ohio University campus in Athens and engaged in Constitutionally protected activity. She drew a large crowd of people, many with opposing viewpoints, who also chose to exercise their first amendment rights,” the statement read. “Ohio University police officers were present throughout the incident to protect everyone’s rights and safety; other than keeping streets and other public rights of way clear, no police officers asked anyone to leave at any point.”

The statement continued:

“Contrary to allegations circulating on social media, the incident did not rise to the level of a riot. There was strong language, and allegations that some unknown person(s) in the crowd splashed water, but there were no reported injuries or violence, and no one was arrested during the event.”

Ms Bennett said she would return to campus with “an army of gun owners for an open carry walk.”

She went on to complain that the protesters had “thrown projectiles and poured hot coffee on us.”

Ms Bennett was met on Twitter with the usual pushback from liberal and leftist accounts, but she was also condemned by the Libertarian Party for calling the college students who protested her “terrorists.”