EDITORS' CORNER
OPINION: But why? One has to rely on alternative media to get the WHOLE story.
Love him or hate him, if there is one thing that helped catapult Donald Trump to the presidency twice, it’s that he isn’t afraid to call out — or return — the vicious tactics used by the progressive Left and the mainstream media.
Call him names? Right back at’cha. Ridiculously biased reporting? Call it out immediately instead of trying to make nice.
Here’s a perfect recent illustration of both points: Mainstream and social media erupted in self-righteous indignation last week after an attendee to a Turning Point USA event at the University of Minnesota (featuring Riley Gaines) responded back to a protester with what many called a “racist” remark.
The Minnesota Star Tribune reports a female University of St. Thomas student was entering the event when she told the protester to “’Go back to your own country,’ followed by an expletive.”
The expletive was “bitch” according to Darnell Edwards, whose Instagram video of the incident ended up going viral across several platforms.
Regarding the target of the student’s comment, the Tribune merely identifies him as “Russian-born activist” Derek Torstenson.
The paper also notes the University of St. Thomas put out a statement condemning its student’s remark, which read in part “As a Catholic university, we have a responsibility to provide a welcoming environment for all and do not condone hateful language being used by anyone in our university community.”
Edwards wrote in his Instagram commentary “let’s not stop speaking up and letting her school know her comments are not ok, not funny and should not be tolerated.”
He also “urged his followers to contact” St. Thomas to let officials “know how you feel, by calling, emailing and following up.”
The Tribune reports other “online responses” called for the student to be “disciplined” and even expelled.
They ended up getting their wish in a way; the Tribune reported Wednesday that the student ended up with withdrawing from school.
The University of St. Thomas also issued an apology at the student’s request, noting her “actions caused hurt and disappointment” and that she “should have handled the situation with respect.”
MORE: Dept. of Ed. has sat on complaint against University of St. Thomas for nearly 6 years
But both the Tribune, Edwards and others make it appear as if this student just blurted out of the blue the (admittedly) offensive statement. Why would she react with such vitriol? Is she just some troglodytic bigot?
Likely not. The target of her invective is a “well-known left-wing activist and frequent protester” who shows up at demonstrations holding a hand-fan with the word “CUNT” on it. He reportedly had it outside the Gaines event.
This is the protester who was yelling at her through a megaphone, @StarTribune. Funny how they always leave out the liberal aggressor in these exchanges. Totally cool to refer to a young female college student as a “cunt,” apparently. https://t.co/iuJ3MV1KIf
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) October 18, 2026
As reported by Alpha News, Torstenson is “a familiar figure on Minnesota’s left-wing protest circuit, with a documented history of displaying the same vulgar term at demonstrations, including events where violence has erupted […] his protest repertoire includes megaphones, profanity-laced confrontations, [and] disruptive demonstrations.”
According to a woman who attended the UMN TPUSA event, Torstenson “held a megaphone near her ear while shouting insults such as ‘you’re a transphobe,’ ‘you hate trans people,’ and ‘you should have been aborted.'”
The woman said she knows all about Torstenson’s tactics “having encountered [him] at previous demonstrations,” so she “knew better than to take the bait.” After ignoring him, Torstenson reportedly shouted, “Are you deaf?”
“When someone responds to his filth, [Torstenson] amps it up, and focuses on them,” the woman said. “He very much wants to incite people.”
At the Target Center protest seen above, Torstenson had his “CUNT” fan and when asked by a pro-Sophie Cunningham organizer to move aside he replied “No, not leaving, bitch.”
So, it seems to me that the St. Thomas student was giving it right back to Torstenson at the TPUSA event.
Hilariously, Edwards claims his covering the incident on Instagram resulted in “zero enjoyment” for him. I might be inclined to take word for it … if he didn’t have a post on his account lauding protesters for depriving ICE agents of sleep, and another of an anti-ICE protest video which he says will “warm your heart.”
More hilarious is that Torstenson set up a GoFundMe back in February, and has since collected a grand total of … just under $1,300 for his “rent, food & monthly bills.”
He claims he needs the money because he’s “going through mental health issues that have stopped [him] from going to work.”
Who’d’ve thought?
MORE: University of St. Thomas apologizes for flying U.S. flag upside down
