"I smell a lawsuit"- Riley Gaines reacts as University of Kansas campus police threaten a journalist for engaging with protesters against her lecture

Riley Gaines recently reacted to a controversy around her speech at the University of Kansas. The swimmer turned social activist had arrived at the campus to deliver a lecture as a part of the Turning Point USA program.

According to a video shared by online creator Bo on his X account, several protestors had gathered to protest against Gaines and her lecture at the university campus. However, instead of taking any action against them, Bo was heckled by the campus police and threatened with arrest under the charges of criminal trespassing.

Gaines shared her thoughts on the video, as she shared it on her X timeline. She wrote in the caption,

"So you can use the sidewalk to protest, but you can’t use it to engage with the protestors? I smell a lawsuit"

A few days ago, Gaines announced her decision to revisit the San Francisco State University, where she was heckled a couple of years ago. Gaines recalled the incident as she posted on her X account,

"I am going to SFSU tomorrow, exactly 2 years after a mob of mentally-ill psychos ambushed me & held me for ransom for 4+ hrs through the night. They've indicated they want to "recreate the same protest". There's a lot of things that scare me, but men in dresses isn't one of them!"

Riley Gaines had been heckled and held to ransom by several protestors at the San Francisco State University in 2023. The swimmer turned social activist wasn't let go until the police intervened.

---

Riley Gaines sends a bold message to protestors upon her return to the SFSU

Riley Gaines sends a bold message to the protesters upon her return to the San Francisco State University [Image Source : Getty]

When Riley Gaines announced her return to the San Francisco State University, the protestors responded with direct threats to the 24-year-old swimmer turned social activist.

However, Gaines was unfazed by the same. Even when a protester tried to disrupt her lecture, for which he was apprehended by the police, Gaines took a jibe at her critics by posting a video of the same on her X timeline. She wrote in the caption,

"Newsflash: a man harassing a woman doesn't make you the martyr you think it does; it just makes you stupid."

Gaines once recalled the impact the 2023 assault had on her. In her words,

"I can go on a whole rant about things that I personally experienced in terms of backlash. You know I've drinks poured on me. I've had glass bottles thrown at me. I've been spit on. I've been assaulted and held to ransom for four hours where these protestors demanded that if I wanted to make it home to see my family safely again I had to pay them money."

Riley Gaines has been campaigning against the inclusion of trans athletes in women's sports since 2022. The swimmer-turned-social activist also campaigned against the participation of athletes like Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif at the Paris Olympics due to the controversy surrounding their gender identities.