Riley Gaines blasts SF State faculty member who called protests at heart of incident 'peaceful'

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Riley Gaines vows not to be silenced after assault by protesters

Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines recounts being 'barricaded' in classroom for hours amid violent scene involving pro-trans protesters.

NCAA champion swimmer Riley Gaines blasted a San Francisco State University faculty member following an email sent to students that depicted a "peaceful" protest after her speech Thursday turned violent. 

Gaines said she was verbally and physically assaulted by the pro-transgender protesters, which led to her being barricaded in a classroom for three hours. Gaines also noted that she was punched, shoved and hit by the protesters before being barricaded. 

City police would eventually be called to get her off campus.

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

But SF State’s vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, Jamillah Moore, sent an email that made no mention of an apology to Gaines, or the acts following her speech about saving women’s sports to the university’s chapter of Turning Point USA. 

"Let me begin by saying clearly: the trans community is welcome and belongs at San Francisco State University. Further, our community fiercely believes in unity, connection, care and compassion, and we value different ideas even when they are not our own," Moore wrote.

"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."

RILEY GAINES ‘AMBUSHED AND PHYSICALLY HIT’ AFTER SAVING WOMEN'S SPORTS SPEECH AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE

Gaines took exception to it. 

"I’m sorry did this just say PEACEFUL…. I was assaulted. I was extorted and held for random (sic). The protestors demanded I pay them if I wanted to make it home safely. I missed my flight home because I was barricaded in a classroom…

"We must have different definitions of peaceful."

Gaines also revealed that Moore blocked her on Twitter, adding, "I guess it’s easier for her to ignore me than to denounce violence against women. She won’t be able to ignore my lawsuit."

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)

If the situation had been peaceful, Gaines said she would "actually welcome it." But it got to a level she couldn’t bear. 

"I was grateful to see a diverse crowd in the room during my speech which I expressed multiple times," Gaines added. "We had great dialogue and listened to each other. But that ambush was the opposite of peaceful."

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Gaines joined Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to explain that she won’t be backing down with her mission of saving women’s sports, and situations like the one that happened at SF State, though "terrifying," won’t steer her off track. 

"This does not deter me. This assures me that I am doing the right thing," she said Friday on "Tucker Carlson Tonight." "This will not silence me. When they want me to be silenced, it just means I need to speak louder."

Gaines plans to identify those who assaulted her and press charges. 

"They will face repercussions," she said.

Riley Gaines (Fox News)

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Gaines received national attention when she publicly criticized University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who is a transgender woman, for competing against her as a female. Thomas ended up winning the Division I national championship in the women’s 500-yard freestyle event, becoming the first openly transgender athlete to win at that level. 

Fox News' Charles Creitz contributed to this report.