Towson University Students Protest Peroutka and Schifanelli

TOWSON - Students gathered on Monday at Towson University to protest an event where Republican attorney general candidate Michael Peroutka and Lieutenant Governor Gordana Schifanelli were speaking.

Around 60 students attended the protest and chanted “This is what democracy looks like” and “no justice, no peace” as the Republican duo took the stage.

The speaking event was titled “The Constitution, What’s In It For Me” and was organized by Towson University’s chapter of Turning Point USA (TUTPUSA). On its website, TUTPUSA described itself as “a diverse non-partisan political group” that advocates for “individual rights, free speech, free markets, limited government, and upholding our Constitution.”

Towson’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America organized the demonstration.

Peroutka is a divisive figure in Maryland politics, partially due to his prior membership in the “League of the South,” a pro-confederate organization. The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the League of the South as a hate group and described the group as “explicitly racist.”

Peroutka once infamously sang “I wish I was in Dixie” at a League of the South event, describing the song as “the national anthem.”

In response to Peroutka’s associations with pro-confederate groups, some students sang union marching songs such as “John Brown’s Body” and “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.”

Schifanelli attended the event by video call, while Peroutka spoke in person to the packed ballroom. Both politicians spoke for around 10 minutes before taking questions from the audience.

According to Towson’s student newspaper, the Towerlight, students questioned Peroutka about his views on issues ranging from same-sex marriage to the United States prison system.