Riley Gaines rejects SFSU's statement suggesting students protested 'peacefully': 'I was assaulted'

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Riley Gaines attacked after women’s sports speech, says no repercussions for attackers

12-time NCAA All-American swimmer Riley Gaines says she was ambushed by activists and that the local police and campus police would not help her.

Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines reacted to an email San Francisco State University sent to students following protests at a Turning Point USA event where Gaines gave a speech and criticized the claim that students protested "peacefully." 

The email, posted to Twitter by David Llamas, a TPUSA College Field Representative, thanked students who protested "peacefully." 

"But we may also find ourselves exposed to divergent views and even views we find personally abhorrent," the email said, according to Llamas. "These encounters have sometimes led to discord, anger, confrontation and fear. We must meet this moment and unite with a shared value of learning. Thank you to our students who participated peacefully in Thursday evening’s event. It took tremendous bravery to stand in a challenging space. I am proud of the moments where we listened and asked insightful questions. I am also proud of the moments when our students demonstrated the value of free speech and the right to protest peacefully. These issues do not go away, and these values are very much at our core."

Gaines responded, saying she was "assaulted" and "barricaded in a classroom" as a result of the protests. 

Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines speaks during a rally on Jan. 12, 2023, outside the NCAA convention in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

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The email was signed by the vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, Jamillah Moore, according to Llamas' tweet.  

Gaines' agent, Eli Bremer, told Fox News Digital that Gaines was "physically assaulted" and "barricaded in a room by protesters." 

"Instead of a thoughtful discussion tonight at SFSU, Riley was violently accosted, shouted at, physically assaulted, and barricaded in a room by protestors. It is stunning that in America in 2023, it is acceptable for biological male students to violently assault a woman for standing up for women’s rights," Bremer said. 

Bremer also called for the expulsion of the students involved in the alleged assault. 

Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines reacts after tying for fifth place in the 200 freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022, in Atlanta Georgia. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital on Friday, Bremer called for the university to expel "any students who were violent," and fire any staff member "who did not attempt to end the assault." 

"Riley Gaines, the leading defender of women's rights in America, was physically assaulted last night at San Francisco State University (SFSU). The violent mob effectively held her hostage for three hours with no apparent action by the university to end the assault," Bremer continued.

Fox News Digital reached out to the university's police department as well as the university for comment. 

Riley Gaines' agent told Fox News Digital that his client was "physically assaulted" and "barricaded in a room by protesters" while at San Francisco State University.  (Reuters/Robert Galbraith )

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The university police department issued a statement on the protests on Friday.

"We are conducting an ongoing investigation into the situation. There were no arrests related to the event. The disruption occurred after the conclusion of the event which made it necessary for UPD officers to move the event speaker from the room to a different, safe location," the University Police Department at San Francisco State University told Fox News Digital in a statement.

Fox News' Paulina Dedaj and Kyle Morris contributed to this report.