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A conservative reporter who was assaulted while covering an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis said she is determined to see those responsible held accountable, warning that the attack reflects a broader threat to free speech.
“This is not a right-wing issue,” Frontlines TPUSA reporter Savanah Hernandez told Fox News Digital. “These people are just violent extremists who have been getting away with lawlessness for far too long and they think that this is how they’re allowed to operate now.”
Hernandez was covering a protest outside the Whipple Federal Building on April 11 when demonstrators surrounded her after learning she was affiliated with Turning Point USA, the conservative organization founded by Charlie Kirk.
She said she told protesters she was there only to observe and record, but the situation escalated after a protester identified as William Kelly began “violently screaming” at her, drawing more attention from the crowd.
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Kelly, who goes by the online name “DaWokeFarmer,” has been involved in several anti-ICE protests around the country and faced charges for his alleged role in storming a church in St. Paul in January.
Kelly denied he was violent in videos posted to social media after the incident and said he was exercising his First Amendment right to protest.
Hernandez said protesters blew horns in her face, yelled obscenities and waved adult novelty products in front of her as she tried to shield herself.
She alleged that local activist Christopher Ostroushko came up behind her, pushed her and screamed in her ear, while his daughter, Paige Ostroushko, blew a whistle in her ear. Hernandez said that despite repeated attempts to leave, she was blocked and attacked multiple times.
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“She pushes me down again. Her mom then comes and accuses me of hitting her daughter and then her mom decides to come and try to attack me,” Hernandez said. “I’m still walking out at this point and I’m telling them, do not touch me. The father then comes down and violently slams me to the ground from behind. I get back up again and the first thing I see is Paige back in front of me. And at that point I was like, okay, I guess I’m going to have to fight my way out of this crowd because they’re not letting me leave.”
After what she estimated were four or five separate attacks, Hernandez said a deputy stepped in and escorted her to a police vehicle for protection. She said she suffered minor injuries.
Hernandez said the episode was especially jarring because, in her view, it crossed a line that should never be crossed.
“There is an aspect that or a threshold that has been passed now,” she said. “Typically in the United States, typically in the West… it’s a basic common thing that men don’t attack women that are unarmed and not touching them. So a threshold has been passed with that and that was why this was so jarring to me.”
Hernandez said the incident was not the first time she had been assaulted while covering protests and that she now plans to travel with security.
“The left wing has been the biggest proponent of violence and silencing the voice of their opposition. This is nothing new, and it is an attack on our First Amendment rights,” she told Fox News Digital. “These people are just violent extremists who have been getting away with lawlessness for far too long, and they think that this is how they’re allowed to operate now.”
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Hernandez intends to pursue accountability not only for herself, but for journalists more broadly.
“I want full charges brought forward in every single way, shape or form,” Hernandez said.
“This isn’t just about me,” she continued. “It doesn’t matter if you are on the right or the left, they are going to attack you because they do not want to be filmed committing criminal activity… and I hope that the administration understands that and uses the full force of the law to bring forth justice.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon confirmed on X that the FBI has opened an investigation into the assault on Hernandez.
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The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital that the case remains under investigation and that it recommended charges Monday against Paige Marie Ostroushko, Lorenzo Amadeo Garcia and Christopher Ostroushko in connection with the assault of a journalist.
The office also said separately, another suspect would separately be charged for striking a deputy with a train horn.
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The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office told Fox News Digital it had received three case submissions on Monday, and they are “currently under review for potential charging.”
Attempts were made to contact Paige Marie Ostroushko, Lorenzo Amadeo Garcia, Christopher Ostroushko and William Kelly for comment.
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